Building better Community Gardens CONVENIENT. Making cycle-sharing safer and more. - see page 5. November 2017

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1 November Published by Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council MIC(P) 116/11/2017 Building better Community Gardens Making cycle-sharing safer and more CONVENIENT - see page 5

2 talk of the town Building better Comm Dr Teo Ho Pin officially opened a new generation community garden beside Block 410 Saujana Road on 22 October. Mdm Julia Liew is the enthusiastic Chairman of the Bukit Panjang Zone 8 RC Community Garden Committee. This is their third garden. The first, at Block 413, had 42 plots and was opened in August The second, at Block 402, has 26 plots but both were DIY projects. For this new garden we worked closely with the Town Council. We ve tried to put all the lessons we ve learned in those older gardens into the design of this one, she said. It has 21 plots, each raised by a Mdm Julia Liew and Dr Teo at the official opening. two-brick high border. All the pathways between the plots are extra wide and made of concrete That s safer for everybody and a lot easier to keep neat and tidy! Other features The garden has a storage shed for tools and watering cans and seating. When the garden was built I asked the Town Council if we could recycle some of their old park benches. Some of our Comfortable recycled seating has been arranged! 2 Holland - Bukit Panjang Town Council

3 unity Gardens gardeners are quite old and need a place to sit and rest. We try to buy organic fertiliser and other things in bulk, if we can, Julia said. That can save the gardeners some money. Many of the vegetables they grow go into sales held by the RC, where all the proceeds go to the NKF. The garden at 413 has DIY borders around the plots. Many of the elderly residents in Bukit Panjang moved into their HDB flats from Lim Chu Kang where many lived on farms. They know a lot about growing vegetables. So we can learn from each other, Julia said. Residents with plots in the new garden sign a form agreeing to abide by the garden s Rules and Regulations. One rule is that they may only grow vegetables. And no climbing plants. Everyone has their own plot. That ownership is appreciated. Lack of it can be a problem in gardens where all the work (and space) is shared The thing is to keep it clean and follow the rules, says Julia. She and her team make sure the three gardens are open for members from 6am to 11am and 5pm to 7pm, seven days a week. Mdm Siew Ling was photographed tending the veggies she s growing in her plot in the new garden. I don t like to see yellow leaves among the green, she said. I ve grown some of my veggies from small plants and some from seeds. And I use organic fertilizer. You don t really know if the organic veggies you buy outside are really organic. But I know the ones I grow definitely are! Dr Teo Ho Pin presenting an award to Mr Eng Yong Ang, voted The Most Helpful Gardener. Here are some of the Do s and Don ts Zone 8 RC has worked out for residents who want to share the joys of a community garden Do keep the gardens clean and free of pests. Do keeps the gardens free of containers. Do keep the gardens free of potted plants. Do coil the water hose after use. Don t pick or damage a neighbour s plants. Don t waste water. Do make sure water taps are off after use. Don t store water. Do prevent mosquitoes breeding. Don t plant on or outside the garden fence. Do lock the gate when last to leave. This is the first time I have ever done gardening, said Mdm June Teo, here with her son, Chuah Kai Zat. I like knowing what I put in to make the vegetables grow. If you buy in the market you just don t know what you re getting. You don t know what pollutants and insecticides may have gone into growing them. Unless they re organic and then they re very expensive! She has already harvested some lettuce, chye sim, gai lan and spinach. How did she do it with no experience? Julia guides us! And my neighbours. I didn t get to know my neighbours before. I do now! I love watching the plants grow from seeds to full size, said Mdm Wendy Lee, a first timer, on why she so enjoyed her new hobby. She pointed out one of her plants that had grown to shoulder height before she pruned it back. We must not have tall plants or they can put your neighbour s plants in shade. And pointed to some sweet potatoes she had grown from cuttings from sweet potatoes she bought in the market. She tends her garden early in the morning, Between seven and nine. While it s still cool! Holland - Bukit Panjang Town Council 3

4 talk of the town High-rise bike racks for the high-rise blocks in Trivelis Trivelis is now occupied - and with 888 units, the new development is home to hundreds of cyclists. Small wonder. Trivelis is just a bike ride away from all the facilities and amenities a resident could ask for the MRT and bus interchange; stadium, sports hall and swimming complex; shopping malls, schools and parks. To cope with the mass of bikes, the Town Council has installed two-tier bike racks at Trivelis the first two-tier bike racks in our Town. It is so easy to park your bike on the upper level of these racks, the upper level spaces are usually filled first! 4 Holland - Bukit Panjang Town Council

5 Dr Teo and grassroots leaders celebrating the new convenience of shared bicycles. Our Town Council, together with the other Councils, LTA and NParks, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GBikes, Mobike, obike, Ofo and SG Bike to improve the cycle-sharing services that have blossomed in Singapore. The MoU lays out a set of mutually agreed guidelines to reduce problem parking and improve public safety. The key requirements The operators have agreed to sponsor education on safe riding and responsible parking. They have already taken steps to do so by co-funding public education on safe riding and proper parking. Currently, the operators are required by LTA to remove badly-parked bikes within half a day. With the signing of the MoU, operators will take action to further reduce this problem by installing geostations (see caption at right) before the end of this year. Geostations will let them to know whether their machines have been parked within designated bicycle parking zones, and take measures to prevent problem parking from happening. To provide better services, the operators will also remove faulty bicycles within a day, and provide public liability insurance for users. They have also agreed to share trip data with LTA, to facilitate the planning of cycle-paths, etc. The MoU applies to the operation of other shared mobility devices, such as small electric four-wheelers and powerassisted bicycles. More parking boxes To facilitate the parking of both privatelyowned and shared bikes, LTA, NParks, the 16 Town Councils and the cycle-sharing operators have started to provide additional parking boxes marked in yellow in HDB estates, parks, park connectors and at MRT stations and bus stops. More than 4,000 boxes will be provided by the end of One of the thousands of yellow boxes being provided for the proper parking of 20,000 bicycles. Making cyclesharing safer and more convenient Under this agreement bikesharing operators will: Remove indiscriminately parked bicycles within half a day Remove faulty bicycles within a day and ensure bicycles are in good working condition Purchase public liability insurance for users and victims of accidents caused by users Educate users on proper parking and safe riding behaviour Implement geo-fencing technologies by end 2017 Share data with government agencies to facilitate the planning of active mobility infrastructure This geostation emits a radiofrequency identification field that recognises bicycles parked nearby - within 5m on HDB void decks. If a bike is parked outside the zone, it will emit an alarm and the user s app will notify him to move the bike into the zone, or he will be penalised. Holland - Bukit Panjang Town Council 5

6 talk of the town Tree pruning centres on a two-man team, one in a cherry-picker with a chainsaw, the other operating the crane s hydraulic controls. In the cherry picker, the worker must wear safety gear and a body harness that is attached to the cherry picker at all times. He uses voice or hand signals to be moved within cutting distance of the branches experience tells him to prune. Every year we celebrate Tree Planting Day. Started by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in his efforts to make Singapore a Garden City, trees are planted by citizens all over Singapore every November. Why November? Because Singapore usually has plenty of rain for the next few months. Trees need water to grow. They also need care. So this November, instead of covering Tree Planting Day, we are covering a Tree Pruning Day. Pruning is essential care for a tree: Trimming it so that it does not overgrow or develop overhanging branches or a crown that is too big. The Town Council now has over 28,000 ornamental trees to care for. All of them have to be pruned according to a schedule that takes into account their type and age. For the pruning operations, the Town Council s horticultural officer calls in specialist contractors, first ensuring that their cherry picker, lifting gear and other equipment are safe to use and that all personnel are well trained and wearing the proper Personal Protection Equipment. Safety the first concern The officer checks that the work area is safe for the crane to work in and has been properly barricaded. There must be at least two workers in the area to make sure no one enters it and to move anything that might be damaged by falling branches. No pruning work can be done during adverse weather condition. When the contractor s work is completed, the Town Council s horticulturists checks that the pruning has been done properly. They also have a monthly schedule to give all the trees in all the divisions an expert visual inspection. They look to see that the trees are growing well, that they have no overgrown or overhanging branches, that the crown is not too big and that the trunk, bark and roots are healthy and undamaged. If they see something that needs closer inspection or corrective action, they ll get the Council s specialist horticultural contractors to act immediately. 6 Holland - Bukit Panjang Town Council

7 Tree Pruning Trees with properly pruned crowns give the shade we want, without interfering with our laundry! Day With shrubs and flowers below and well tended trees above living in our Town is a pleasure. During crane operations, all personnel within the work zone must don their proper Personal Protection Equipment, with their helmets and high visibility vests of the highest importance. Holland - Bukit Panjang Town Council 7

8 Twenty-five cleaners rode up to the ninth floor of the Ulu Pandan Community Club the evening of 23 August. After a warm welcome from Mr Christopher de Souza, each was thanked personally and presented with a small token of our gratitude. Then it was time to enjoy some excellent food at this Appreciation Dinner for the men and women who keep Ulu Pandan safe and clean! Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council Toll Free Hotline mailbox@hbptc.org.sg Website Bangkit Office Blk 256 Bangkit Road, #01-71, Singapore Fax The office operating hours are: Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 5.30pm; Saturday, 8.00am to 1.00pm Cashier collection hours are: Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 4.30pm; Saturday, 8.00am to 12.00noon. The Four Cs for Cyclists Download itown@sg now! Be Courteous. Watch out for old folks and little ones. Ring your bell and slow down when approaching from behind. Be Careful. Don t speed, race or ride recklessly. Don t take risks with kerbs. Be especially careful in wet weather. Be Car-aware. Obey the Rules of the Road. Hug the left-hand kerb. Dismount and push whenever you want to cross a road. Be Colourful. Wear yellow or white when riding at night. Fit reflectors and a red lamp on the back of your bicycle. PRINTED BY IMAGE PRINTERS PTE LTD