Roof of bus-shelter near QEH1 repaired
Published on: Tuesday, July 13, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
.jpg "Roof of bus-shelter near QEH1 repaired")
Commuters are adequately protected from the rain under the new roof for the bus-shelter.
City Hall has changed the roof of the bus-shelter, nearest to the multi-storey carpark for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 (QEH1), and given this public amenity a face-lift, after a patient spoke out about the poor condition of the structure.The individual said the shelter provided users with little protection from the rain due to the “gaping holes” in the roof.
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He was under the impression that this amenity had not been maintained in a long time, as some the fixtures were hanging down here and there from the shelter.
A spokesman for City Hall’s Transport and Traffic Department said a preliminary check was made shortly after the agency was contacted by the media.
“Our staff confirmed the commuter’s claim that the shelter was in a bad shape,” he said.
“Many of the square plastic panels in the roof were either damaged or missing.”
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The shelter was previously in a sorry condition.
Action was initially taken to cover these holes to offer temporary relief to the public seeking respite from the rain, according to him.
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He said a contractor returned several days later to begin implementing a more permanent solution.
“The remaining panels were dismantled and a new roof with an ‘aluminium-carbon double side covering’ was put up,” he said.
“Three days later when this was done, a fresh coat of paint was applied to the shelter.”
He said City Hall staff were present to oversee and guide the contractor’s workers in accomplishing this task.
When asked if the agency planned to refurbish any of the other shelters around the Hospital, if not the City, the spokesman said the agency hoped to carry out this work in stages.
City Hall staff overseeing work to put up the new roof for this bus-shelter at QEH1.
“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.”
He said many of these structures had become weather beaten and were damaged in places.
“We are in the midst of planning how best to improve the affected shelters.
BOLINTAU 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.”
Bolintau 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.
Shopkeepers in this part of Damai Plaza are concerned that the damaged pavement is hazardous to shoppers.
Meanwhile, a Luyang proprietor is alarmed about the “hole” in a concrete slab which is embedded into a pavement at Damai Plaza.
The individual expressed his misgivings about the safety hazards the “hole” posed to pedestrians.
He said several of unit owners along Lorong Pokok Kayu Manis had made the local authorities aware of this problem but so far repairs had yet to be made.
A City Hall spokesman said one of the agency’s contractors was instructed to attend to the damage, after its Engineering Department staff confirmed the danger posed to shoppers.
“We will monitor the progress of this work to ensure that this work is carried out as soon as possible,” he said.
When asked how often the pavement, including the slabs, was maintained, he said this was done as and when it became necessary to do so.
CHARLIE of Luyang said the “hole” was hazardous to those going on foot.
“A misstep could result in someone twisting their ankle or worse,” he said.
“I hate to think what could happen if an expectant mother or a senior citizen unwittingly walked into the hole.”
He said he had noticed this problem some time ago and several other shopkeepers had also shared their concerns about the dangers posed by the damaged pavement.
Charlie said a good Samaritan had placed a plastic pole and some Styrofoam into the damaged slab as a stop-gap measure to forewarn shoppers to avoid stepping on the slab.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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