Bus Depot Being Constructed In The Centre Of A Thriving 25 Year Old Forest

The Land Transport Authority is clearing forested land to extend the Serangoon River Road to build a multi-storey bus depot. There is a lot at stake for the thriving forest that is being cleared steadily with each passing day. We must act now to save this precious forest and the many animal lives at stake.

Location

The bus depot will occupy 7 hectares in the middle of a 70-hectare thriving forested segment.

The affected area is surrounded by Buangkok East Drive, KPE, Tampines Road and the Serangoon River. 

Thriving Forest

Nature has been thriving undisturbed here as part of the forest that extends from the sea to the heartland  for the last 25 years. It is no brownfield. Its micro-habitats consist of secondary forests, marshes, grassland and riverine vegetation. Wild boars, monitor lizards, otters, eagles as well as a variety of grassland and wetland birds are some of the more noticeable larger animals that are found here. Migratory birds have been sighted in the area as well, and the area is also the backdrop for the beautiful and tranquil scenery that visitors to the Serangoon Park Connector (PCN) get to experience every time they visit the park. This 70-hectare wild growth is part of the bigger 300-hectare forest that occupies the entire eastern banks of the Serangoon River. 

Residents who live in the area have already developed a rooted relationship with the greenery and have affectionately named it the Serangoon River Forest.

Impact To Wildlife

It is impossible to rationalise how a new bus depot has been sited right in the centre of a forested area that is 10 times the size of the development. The impact of this development is like a soft-boiled egg. When the yolk is pricked, the surrounding wildlife will be impacted. Such a development will mean the loss of habitat, nesting areas, food sources and a safe sanctuary for the thriving wildlife there.

The Damaging Consequences To Wildlife 

From the depot's construction that includes ancillary facilities, to its 24-hour operation that entails daily heavy bus traffic, the environmental impact on the surrounding ecology will be great and extremely damaging.

Alternative Sites

We the undersigned ask the authorities to preserve as much of the current greenspaces as possible and to re-examine the location of the bus depot and to consider alternative sites such as 

• the area adjacent to the existing heavy vehicle parks along Tampines    Road, or better still, 
• relocate the bus depot to opposite the Tampines Road in Defu Industrial Estate, which itself is already a clearcut brownfield locality 

Human activity at the fringes of biodiverse natural growth will certainly exert much lower ecological impacts than developments in the very centre of these forests.

How You Can Help

• Sign this petition to make your voice heard.
• Share this petition with your friends, family and neighbors. Educate    them on the importance of preserving our forests.
• Share the link to this petition on your chatgroups, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok etc. and encourage your friends and followers to sign this petition.
• Write to LTA, URA and your MPs to share your concerns with them over this bus depot.

Thank you.