State capital’s bus shelters in bad shape
Published on: Saturday, June 05, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
The underside of this Likas bridge is cracked and bits of the concrete have come away.
City Hall hopes to upgrade several bus-shelters around the State Capital, including those near Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 (QEH1).A spokesman for the agency said they are weighing up the possibility of refurbishing those shelters which were run down.
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“Many of these public amenities have become weather beaten and are damaged in places,” he said.
He said City Hall was in the midst of planning how best to improve the affected shelters.
“How quickly this work will be carried out will depend on the extent of the repairs needed, as well as the availability of funds to do this.
“At best we might only be able to move forward with this initiative once the present Movement Control Order has been lifted.”
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The spokesman was responding to a complaint from a Likas commuter about the poor condition of the bus-stop near the multi-storey carpark for the Hospital.
The individual said the structure provided users with little shelter from the rain due to the “gaping holes” in the roof.
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He said the structure looked as if it had not been maintained in a long time, with some of the fixtures hanging down here and there.
The spokesman said a check was made of the shelter shortly after the media informed City Hall about the commuter’s displeasure.
“Our staff observed that this amenity was in a bad shape,” he said.
The gaping holes in the roof of the shelter provide little protection for the public when it rains.
“Many of the square plastic panes in the roof were either damaged or missing.”
He said action would be taken to prevent water from dripping onto the public seeking respite from the rain.
“We are looking into how best to cover these holes until this problem can be dealt with once and for all.
“This should offer commuters some temporary relief.”
BENEDICT of Likas said the shelter near the QEH1 multi-storey carpark had fallen into a state of disrepair.
The resident takes a bus to the Hospital every other month to receive treatment for an ailment.
He said many sections of the roof for the bus-stop had given way.
“During a downpour, the public have to huddle around the drier sections of the shelter where the rain is not coming through,” he said.
“I suspect the structure has not been repaired in years.”
He said it was pointless to have a shelter which did not adequately protect the public when it rained heavily.
“During a recent rainy day, I sought refuge at the shelter. It was cold and wet, even under this structure, because of the water leaking down on us.”
He said some of the other commuters were squatting on the “the railing” beneath the roof just to avoid getting wet.
“It was a very funny scene. They reminded me of ‘orang utans’ hanging on a tree.”
He said the structure also needed of a fresh coat of paint as many parts of the metal were rusty.
“The salt in the rain-water has gradually been eroding the beams for the shelter.”
Benedict hoped the administration of QEH1 would look into attending to this structure for the benefit of the many patients, like himself, who relied on public transport to access the Hospital.
Meanwhile the Public Works Department will check on the condition of the pedestrian bridge on Jalan Tuaran, near Likas Plaza.
This follows a motorist’s observations that the underside of the bridge was damaged, with cracks having formed in parts of this public amenity.
A Department spokesman said its staff would have to verify this claim.
“A preliminary investigation will be made to assess the state of the bridge,” he said.
“Should the driver’s concerns be warranted, then we will either ask our concessionaire to attend to the structure or we will source for funds to have the necessary repairs made.”
DEX of Kolombong noticed that bits of the cement had come away from the bottom of the bridge.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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