Jurong West HDB Corridor Cluttered With Plants With Little Space For Wheelchair To Pass Through
UPDATE (22 MAR): In response to MS News‘ queries, the West Coast Town Council said that the potted plants have been removed and the site cleared.
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People who use wheelchairs often have a harder time performing tasks that able-bodied people take for granted.
For example, squeezing through a cluttered HDB corridor might not be a major problem for most. But for this lady sitting in a wheelchair, it’s a daily struggle.
On 8 Mar, Jurong resident Ms Christian posted a video on Facebook showing her grappling with obstructed corridors to access the lift.
The video has since been circulating on social media.
Resident lives on floor with no lift access
In her Facebook post, Ms Christian says that she lives on the 7th floor of an HDB block along Jurong West Street 91, where there’s no lift access.
As a result, she has to pass through the corridors on either level 6 or 8 to access the central lift.
Lianhe Zaobao reports that her husband usually helps her navigate the staircase by moving the wheelchair to the 6th floor first.
Then, she would slowly descend the stairs before sitting back in the wheelchair.
Difficult to pass through narrow corridor of Jurong West HDB
Recounting in her post, Ms Christian says that since she uses a wheelchair, she has to be extra careful of the corridor clutter.
It comes in the form of shoes lying about, which she has to move aside in order to pass through.
There’s also an area with over 30 potted plants, where she struggles to navigate through without getting scratched by twigs.
Meanwhile, she has to be mindful not to fall into the corridor drain.
Another challenge is posed by laundry racks, which tend to make the hallway too narrow for her wheelchair to go through.
Frankly, it was not easy watching Ms Christian’s struggle to access the lift, as the process is rather arduous.
Been using a wheelchair since 6 years ago
Sharing in her post, she says that she’d not been dependent on a wheelchair until 6 years go, when she fell ill.
Even though she hasn’t been going out much since then due to various inconveniences, she still needs to go for blood dialysis every 2 days.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, she used to be a child educator before she came down with heart and liver failure.
The disease unfortunately made her legs extremely weak, and dependent on dialysis ever since.
We’ve reached out to the West Coast Town Council for comment, and will update the article when they get back.
Avoid obstructing HDB corridors & be considerate of others
Obstructed HDB corridors are arguably a common sight in Singapore.
However, not only can they prove inconvenient to residents, they can also be potential safety hazards.
Therefore, we hope that actions may be taken to address similar problems, and that Ms Christian can feel less discouraged to venture out of her house.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
