I REFER to the letter, 'SMRT should look into problems with
train doors' by Ms Elaine Wee (ST Online Forum, Nov 17).
We would like to assure commuters that SMRT has in place stringent
operational procedures to ensure passenger safety. Apart from
indicators to warn commuters that the doors are about to close,
trains have built-in safety features which ensure trains will not
move off if an object comes between the train doors. An indicator
in the driver's cab will also light up, prompting the driver to
re-open the train doors. Train doors are also operated
pneumatically so the closing speed is reduced when they are about
to close. This will minimise the impact should any passenger be hit
by them.
Ms Wee observed that the train doors closed on an elderly woman at
City Hall MRT station on Oct 27. Our investigations showed that the
woman tried to board the train when the train doors were closing,
and after the door closing announcement came on. As a result, the
woman was caught between the doors, which were subsequently
re-opened to allow her to board.
We take this opportunity to advise commuters not to rush into the
train at the last moment, especially after the door closing
announcements and the buzzer are played. On our part, we will
continue to remind train officers to exercise greater care when
closing the doors.
We thank Ms Wee for sharing her observation with us.
Kuek Chor Ling (Ms)
Manager, Corporate Marketing and Communications
SMRT Corporation
http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_181006.html
Looking at the comments stemed from the article...
#1: I don't think people would care too much about "rush(ing) into
the train at the last moment" if you increase the frequency of your
services?
#2: #1's suggestion to improve services by increasing frequency is
a great suggestion, but alas it would impact the bottom line! The
response from SMRT Corp puts the onus on commuters not to get in
the way of its train doors, so let us all be warned. For an
aspiring "first world" country we do lag way behind on consumer
rights and treating people as people - we now reap what we have
sowed and despite all the talk about being caring, etc the top down
bullying style still persists, sometimes cloaked in pleasant words.
Time we walked the walk.
#3: Typical Singapore corporation reply: "Solly, hor, but oso your
fault what."
Sigh...
really hopeless lah, Singaporeans.
Train door safety has got nothing to do with frequency, the onus is
on passengers themselves to ensure safety for themselves on-board
trains. Since SMRT has warned (pasting stickers on their doors in
all 4 ethnic languages to warn people not to rush into trains when
doors are closing), the emphasis is now on people on whether they
wish to comply with the rules. It's clearly the elderly woman's
fault that she rushed in when the doors are closing. Even though
doors have sensors to indicate an obstacle in between the doors,
isn't it the responsibility of the passenger to ensure that they
enter the train safely? Singaporeans are just too
kiasu, train doors closing also must rush in. Bear
in mind that trains do have a schedule to follow, and they can't
possibly wait for every single person to board before closing it's
doors. If that is so, train schedules get heavily stretched, and
waiting times increase.
The bottom line is, train doors closing =/= frequency of the
trains, it's the passenger's responsibility to ensure his/her own
safety. SMRT has put in place safety measures to ensure safety of
commuters, it's time people here reflect on themselves whether they
do have a part to play in ensuring they enjoy their trip.
Seriously, the comment on #1 is way too off-topic. If Singaporeans
know how to ensure their own safety, no matter how long the waiting
time is, there wouldn't be any case of injury right? Even if SMRT
decreases the frequency to 2 minutes we still see people rushing
in. It's very clearly observed during peak hours. Why is this so?
People always rushing what, see train doors closing also rush. They
don't care when is the next train is arriving; they just want to go
into the train. Such kiasu attitude makes such
injuries a high possibility for people who rush into trains the
last minute. Thus, train door safety has nothing to do with
frequency of trains; it's the persistence of such
kiasu mindsets of Singaporeans that such cases of
injury is very common. If we can all step back and reflect on our
own actions, we can still enjoy a comfortable train ride home
without worrying about the doors closing on us
again.