If there’s anything that frustrates Singaporeans, it’s probably architecture that stops us from getting to wherever we want to with ease.
And if you frequently alight at Marina Bay MRT station, you’re probably no stranger to this sight:
The TikTok video, which has since attracted over 212,300 views, clearly left many Singaporeans in agreement.
Basically, a barrier obstructing a route that most commuters take to get across Marina Bay road forced pedestrians to make a choice between two options.
(Spoiler alert: None of the options are particularly fun ones.)
Option One
Of course, the first option would be to be a good law-abiding citizen (or maybe someone who just wants to clock more steps on their FitBit) and take the long route around the entire area, like what’s shown in the video clip above.
But you’ll still end up having to jaywalk across two lanes of the road after you reach the end of the walkway lah, so I guess that’s not very law-abiding after all?
And definitely not an ideal route to take if you’re already running late for work.
Option Two
And if you’re a little more of a daredevil (or you just can’t be bothered to waste two minutes of your precious time, because no one can in this economy), you’ve probably considered option two.
Yup, just climb over the barrier. I mean, it technically gets the job done, right?
But both options aside, it’s pretty obvious that the issue here is the barrier, and it seems even odder to have it placed there if you consider the evident path leading to the barrier that’s been marked out by soil.
Although the barrier was clearly set out to prevent jaywalking, many may argue that pedestrians still end up having to jaywalk even if they take the longer route, which then completely defeats the purpose of the barrier.
After TikTok user @ugoahboy posted a now-viral series of videos documenting Singaporeans’ struggles of… uh, getting across the road, it seems like the TikTok gods were smiling down on us, because someone actually heard the complaints and, you guessed it, took the barriers down.
Barrier Removed (For Now)
Based on @ugoahboy’s newest update, the barrier was removed when the user visited the area yesterday (9 April).
The power of TikTok indeed.
Although it is unclear as to whether or not other barriers in the area will be put up in the future, it’s clearly enough for pedestrians now, who won’t have to waste more precious time of theirs just to get across the road.
I mean, at least no one will have to risk ripping their office wear when they’re scaling the barrier, right?
Featured Image: TikTok (@ugoahboy)
