The day before I was to go on a driving holiday up to Penang, I was flat out on my back. Everything I took simply got thrown out of my stomach. The world was a spin and I checked into hospital; stayed 2 days. It was a severe inner ear infection and vertigo kicked in.
Upon discharge, I was not able to drive. Judgement of positioning, depth and distance were impaired, likewise hearing on my right. In short, spatial orientation is off and has to be recalibrated. I broke a tall glass in restaurant, chipped a cup or two and almost tip over a road side barrier riding my bicycle!
The experience is a nagging tipsy feeling and rehab is a good option. It’s a science called vestibular therapy. It works by having you perform motions that are intended to make you dizzy while at the same time making you focus on your body position. Three receptors are at play for an able body person-vestibular system (inner ear balance), ocular (eyesight) and lastly our skeletal, muscular movements.
So post medical leave, I went back to work using our public transport system, largely on trains, buses and occasional taxi rides. It’s no big deal as my formative years were walking, cycling, sampan, ferry boat to school. After three weeks of public commute, I would rate our transport system as first world.
Understandably, some parts of Singapore (North-South line, Jurong East-City) are congested on trains during peak hours. These are best addressed by frequencies and capacities (supply vs demand) or even pricing differentiation to ‘incentivise’ early birds to work. Conversely, ‘disincentive’ of more expensive fare during peak period, much like vehicular ERP to spread the load. I imagine latter to be highly unpopular.
It helps that my home is only a 3 minute walk to the train station. I take a train, switch over to another and then a feeder bus to work. In all, it’s 50 mins compare to 30 mins of driving. You get to read, go about doing eye rehab exercises or simply people watching on trains. It’s therapeutic.
Alighting from train, I have the option of 2 feeder buses to work and a spoilt choice of 4 feeder buses on my way back to the train station. The connection from train station to bus stop is sheltered. Our bus captains are generally patient.
Most buses are ‘handicapped friendly’, allocating a generous slot, good for 2 wheelchairs. In the 3 weeks, I did not witness any one on wheelchairs. It can be argued that the same slot is a wonderful place to park one’s foldable bicycle, a practice that’s allowed only after 9:30am. Our buses are clean, air-conditioned, armed to it’s teeth with ‘stop buzzers’ all over including a ‘low buzzer’ for those on wheelchairs. There's no reason for alighting one too many stops.
I only wish our bus captains are better trained especially when accelerating and decelerating. The anal ones tend to jerk and it’s most unpleasant when standing or trying to alight. With the double-deckers, the hissing sounds emitted (from hydraulics) are quite annoying. Thus far, I have not experience bus captain ‘skipping bus stop’ despite congestion at peak hour.
Our trains are clean, frequent and reliable. I feel it puzzling that in the tropics, our trains are grossly cold at most times. The ‘reserve seats’ for elderly, handicapped are respected.
As for our citizen drivers, we have some way to go. One morning, the sky opened, pouring buckets once I alighted at my destination. The bus stop to overhead bridge is sheltered, likewise the overhead bridge itself. Upon stepping down the overhead bridge, the walk way to my office building is also sheltered. Dry so far; I did not have to use my umbrella! So I trotted along the sheltered walkway. A huge private car zoomed past, hit a puddle of water and I was spilled wet up to my knees. I could only shout the b*!&% word (I meant bastard, not bitch). The next vehicle was a double-decker. The bus captain had more sympathy. He actually moved at a measured speed without spitting on me.
If only more of our heart ware are in place, we would be first world, first class.
