Bukit Panjang Explained

Bukit Panjang
Settlement Type:Planning Area and HDB Town
Translit Lang1:Other
Translit Lang1 Type1:Malay
Translit Lang1 Info1:Malay: Bukit Panjang
Malay: {{Script|Arab|بوکيت ڤنجڠ
Translit Lang1 Type2:Chinese
Translit Lang1 Info2:Chinese: 武吉班让
Chinese: 武吉班讓
Wǔjí Bānràng
Bú-kit Pan-jiāng
Translit Lang1 Type3:Tamil
Translit Lang1 Info3:Tamil: புக்கிட் பாஞ்சாங்
Pukkiṭ Pāñcāṅ
Pushpin Map:Singapore
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Bukit Panjang within Singapore
Coordinates:1.3808°N 103.7625°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Singapore
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:West Region----
Subdivision Type2:CDC
Subdivision Name2:
Subdivision Type3:Town Council
Subdivision Name3:
  • Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council
Subdivision Type4:Constituencies
Subdivision Name4:
Leader Title1:Mayor
Leader Name1:North West CDC

----

Leader Title2:Members of Parliament
Leader Name2:Bukit Panjang SMC

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Area Footnotes:[1] [2]
Area Total Km2:8.99
Area Blank1 Title:Residential
Area Blank1 Km2:2.19
Population As Of:2019
Population Footnotes:[3]
Population Total:138,270
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Demonym:
  • Bukit Panjang resident
Demographics Type1:Ethnic groups
Demographics1 Title1:Chinese
Demographics1 Info1:102,800
Demographics1 Title2:Malays
Demographics1 Info2:21,690
Demographics1 Title3:Indians
Demographics1 Info3:10,340
Demographics1 Title4:Others
Demographics1 Info4:3,450
Postal Code Type:Postal districts
Postal Code:21, 23
Blank Name Sec1:Dwelling units
Blank Info Sec1:34,463
Blank1 Name Sec1:Projected ultimate
Blank1 Info Sec1:44,000

Bukit Panjang is a planning area and residential town located in the West Region of Singapore. A portion of this town is situated on a low-lying elongated hill. The planning area is bounded by Bukit Batok to the west, Choa Chu Kang to the northwest, Sungei Kadut to the north, the Central Water Catchment to the east, and Bukit Timah to the south. Bukit Panjang New Town is located at the northern portion of the planning area. Bukit Panjang has an average elevation of 36m/118 ft.[4]

The town is categorised into seven subzones, namely Jelebu, Bangkit, Fajar, Saujana, Senja, Dairy Farm, and Nature Reserve.

Etymology

Bukit Panjang means "long hill" in Malay. It gets its name from the low hills which end south to Bukit Timah.[5] The roads in the town are named after old 60s kampung tracks (Lorong Petir, Lorong Pending, Jalan Fajar, Jalan Senja) which used to ply the area.[6]

History

Bukit Panjang is a suburban town in western Singapore. Before redevelopment, Kampong Bukit Panjang used to exist in the area. Initially, instead of using the original place name, Bukit Panjang, there were plans to open up the new town using the name, Zhenghua, derived from Jalan Cheng Hwa that used to ply the area. However, Bukit Panjang was quickly reinstated following complaints.[7] Development of the town and advanced earthworks begun on 15 June 1981. HDB flats rose up by 20 May 1985, but only Blocks 1xx and 2xx were built so far. Neighbourhood 4 was up and running by 1989, and followed by Neighbourhood 5 and 6 which was the recent ones since 1995.

Administration

The Bukit Panjang area comes under the administrative lead of the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council, which oversees the management and maintenance of the many apartments (HDB flats) and commercial units in Bukit Panjang. Its chairman is Liang Eng Hwa.

Housing, amenities, and attractions

The town consists of a mixture of old and new blocks of flats, condominiums and private housing. To date, there are three community centres, namely Bukit Panjang Community Club, Zhenghua Community Club,[8] and Senja-Cashew Community Club, which serve the entertainment, recreational, and educational needs of residents.Bukit Panjang Plaza is one of the well-known malls in Bukit Panjang. It is located in the heart of Bukit Panjang town and is near Bukit Panjang LRT station, Bukit Panjang MRT station, and Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange. Located on Jelebu Road, the mall has been expanded twice throughout its existence to include more shops in the building. The mall is owned by CapitaRetail which is another retail-based REIT by CapitaLand. The mall houses the Bukit Panjang Public Library as well as a NTUC FairPrice Finest supermarket.

Hillion Mall is another well-known mall in Bukit Panjang, located along Petir Road. It is one of the more recent commercial facilities, which completed construction and was opened to the public on 24 February 2017. It is part of the Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub, which shares the building with the Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange, and directly links to the Bukit Panjang MRT/LRT station through an underpass and above-ground link way respectively.There are other smaller commercial buildings equipped with food courts, supermarkets, and other basic shops to meet the basic necessities of the residents. They are commonly located within HDB estates or small standalone buildings. Some of the more iconic buildings include Junction 10 located along Woodlands Road, Fajar Shopping Centre located along Fajar Road, Greenridge Shopping Centre located along Jelapang Road, and the Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood Centre located along Bangkit Road.

Within the neighbourhood consists of two hawker centres; the Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market and the Senja Hawker Centre.[9] The former opened in 2015[10] while the latter opened in 2022.[11]

A healthcare facility located along Senja Road was opened on 2 October 2021 to house the Bukit Panjang Polyclinic and the Senja Care Home.[12] The town has two major parks, namely Bukit Panjang Park and Zhenghua Park. Bukit Panjang Park is located adjacent to the Senja-Cashew Community Club and wraps around Pang Sua Pond, a man-made floating wetland. Zhenghua Park, located in the eastern part of Bukit Panjang, consists of a fitness area, gazebos, playgrounds, and a 2.5-kilometre cycling and jogging track that runs parallel to the Bukit Timah Expressway.

Education

Bukit Panjang has both primary and secondary schools within the neighbourhood,[13] as well as other private institutions.

Primary schools

Secondary schools

Private institutions

Transportation

Rail

Bukit Panjang is served by the following MRT Stations on the Downtown MRT line which opened on 27 December 2015 and provide residents with direct train access to the Downtown Core:

It is also served by the following LRT Stations which connect it to nearby Choa Chu Kang for commuters to access the North–South MRT line:

The driverless and fully automated Bukit Panjang LRT line was completed on 11 June 1999 at a cost of S$285 million.[14] The rail line was intended to serve the growing town and act as a replacement to the many buses employed through the town, especially during rush hours. Originally opening with 14 stations, Ten Mile Junction station permanently closed in 2019 after sighting low ridership, bringing the number to 13.[15]

Several petitions were presented by the residents of Bukit Panjang protesting the decision by SMRT to replace the buses in Bukit Panjang with the LRT system. Some of the complaints were related to the fact that people preferred the previous bus system that covered most parts of the Bukit Panjang neighbourhoods such as bus service 190 and 972. The previous bus system was viewed as more efficient because it had many bus stops within walking distance; the LRT system has only 13 stations that are spaced hundreds of meters apart.

The LRT system is expected to go through a major upgrading programme that is due to be completed by 2026. The programme will bring about a new signalling system, better condition monitoring, new power rails system and 19 new light rail vehicles.[16] [17]

Bus

The public bus system is predominantly run by SMRT Buses. Of the SMRT buses based in Bukit Panjang, some are smaller feeder bus services that serve the various areas of the neighbourhood, while the rest are long-distance trunk services that serve as a mode of transport to other towns and to the city centre. Bus services start and end at Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange.

Road

Bukit Panjang is bounded by two of Singapore's expressways — the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) and Kranji Expressway (KJE). The BKE is accessible via Bukit Panjang Road and Dairy Farm Road, while the KJE is accessible via Woodlands Road and Senja Road.[18]

Bukit Panjang also has a ring road running through the various parts of Bukit Panjang, the Bukit Panjang Ring Road. It acts as a feeder to the main arterial roads in the town.

Cycling

There is a total of 8.5 km-worth of cycling paths around Bukit Panjang to facilitate active mobility as part of the Land Transport Authority's Walk-Cycle-Ride initiative.[19] The first batch of cycling paths was constructed along Petir Road in 2018 by the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council. The network has since expanded to cover areas such as Fajar, Bangkit, Jelapang, and Senja.[20] Together with the Pang Sua Park Connector, Bukit Panjang Park Connector, and Bukit Panjang (Woodlands Road to KJE) Park Connector, the cycling paths form the backbone of the town's 16 km cycling network.[21]

Politics

Bukit Panjang is politically divided into two constituencies, namely the Bukit Panjang Single Member Constituency and the Cashew and Zhenghua wards of the Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency.

Bukit Panjang SMC mainly consists of the Pending, Bangkit and Fajar areas. Its Member of Parliament is Liang Eng Hwa.

Senja, Segar, and Jelapang are located in Zhenghua ward of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC where its Member of Parliament is Edward Chia. Petir, Gangsa, and Chestnut areas belong to the Cashew division of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC with its Member of Parliament being Vivian Balakrishnan.

References

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bukit Panjang (Planning Area, Singapore) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location. www.citypopulation.de. 10 April 2018.
  2. http://www10.hdb.gov.sg/ebook/ar2015/html5/index.html?opf=tablet/Key%20Statistics.xml HDB Key Statistics FY 2014/2015
  3. Web site: Statistics Singapore - Geographic Distribution - 2018 Latest Data. February 11, 2019.
  4. Web site: Bukit Panjang New Town Singapore on the Elevation Map. Topographic Map of Bukit Panjang New Town Singapore.. elevationmap.net. elevationmap.net. 10 April 2018.
  5. Savage; Yeoh, p. 73
  6. Web site: Loh Xiu . Ruth . 2019-07-03 . Bukit Panjang, where the hills come alive . 2023-09-07 . edgeprop.sg.
  7. Savage; Yeoh, p. 74
  8. https://www.pa.gov.sg/cc-details/zhenghua-community-club/ People's Association - Zhenghua Community Club
  9. Web site: New Bukit Panjang hawker centre design unveiled; construction to begin this year: NEA. CNA. en. 2020-02-27.
  10. Web site: Bukit Panjang’s first hawker centre sees sizeable crowds on opening day . 2023-01-03 . TODAY . en.
  11. Web site: cue . 2022-12-11 . New Bukit Panjang hawker centre offers affordable fare, Michelin-rated stalls The Straits Times . 2023-01-03 . www.straitstimes.com . en.
  12. News: New Bukit Panjang Polyclinic has dental, women's and children's health services. 2021-10-02. The Straits Times. 2022-05-23. en.
  13. Web site: School Information Service (SIS). 2020-09-11. sis.moe.gov.sg.
  14. Web site: Built at a cost of $285 million, Bukit Panjang LRT may be scrapped – The Independent News. 7 October 2016. en-US. 2020-02-27.
  15. News: 2018-03-08 . Bt Panjang LRT's Ten Mile Junction station to close . 2024-04-07 . The Straits Times . en . 0585-3923.
  16. Web site: LTA Upcoming Projects System Renewal Upgrading the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT). 2020-09-11. www.lta.gov.sg.
  17. News: Lim . Adrian . 2018-03-07 . Parliament: $344m overhaul of Bukit Panjang LRT; smoother rides expected from 2022 . en . The Straits Times . 2023-09-07 . 0585-3923.
  18. Web site: LTA Upcoming Projects Road & Commuter Facilities Senja/KJE Interchange. www.lta.gov.sg. 2020-02-27.
  19. Web site: LTA Getting Around . 2023-01-03 . www.lta.gov.sg.
  20. Web site: Bukit Panjang cycling paths to feed into Park Connector Network by 2021 Video . 2023-01-03 . CNA . en.
  21. Web site: cue . 2023-02-18 . Bukit Panjang gets 8.5km of new cycling paths along nearly every street The Straits Times . 2023-02-19 . www.straitstimes.com . en.