May 27, 2018, 04:28 AM 
So, you might have seen this bus stop located along Bukit Timah Road.
Strange design
Railings placed right in front of it have certainly puzzled many who have seen it.
This has also prompted queries about its unconventional design, as commuters typically board and alight the bus right in front of the bus shelter.
But not in this case, where commuters can only do so at the area next to the bus shelter.
Transport ministry's response
Well, the Ministry of Transport has responded to the public's queries about the unconventional design of the bus stop.
Unconventional bus stop explained
Basically, the bus stop had to be built that way to work around the space constraint along that particular stretch of road.
Despite the space constraint, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said a bus bay was still needed to prevent stopping buses from obstructing traffic flow along the main road.
The bus shelter is placed along the tapered end of the bus bay because the pavement there is wider.
And a bus shelter has to be built to, well, shelter commuters from the sun and rain.
Tapered end of the bus bay. (Source: Google Maps Street View)
This means that buses stop at the wider end of the bus bay.
Wider end of the bus bay. (Source: Google Maps Street View)
The railings in front of the bus shelter then serve two purposes:
- To "guide commuters to board the bus at the designated bus bay", which is the wider part of the bus bay before the tapered end
- To "deter bus drivers from stopping at the tapered end of the bus bay and hamper traffic" while passengers alight
There you have it.
The best guess of an explanation as to why the bollards are there together with the railings is perhaps to absorb any impact of a crash if there was one.
Not the first time someone explained it
This is not the first time someone tried to explain the design of the bus stop.
Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Melvin Yong wrote a Facebook post on April 11, saying that the bus stop will be reconstructed so that commuters can board and alight right at the bus shelter.
He also said that "extensive works" set to commence in May 2018 will "greatly improve the traffic conditions along these busy roads when completed".
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Top image adapted via 美珊/FB & Google Maps Street View
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