Straits Times Forum 16 Jun 09;
BUKIT Timah Nature Reserve is a gem in urban Singapore and is popular with casual walkers and serious trekkers.
The trails simulate conditions on walking holidays in Nepal and Mount Kinabalu, and both the young and old (the oldest I met was aged 76) enjoy the place.
There are calls of 'good morning' between absolute strangers, all sharing the pleasures of the quiet trails, despite the sweat and strain.
There is an euphoric rush on reaching the carpark and the finish, but the happiness is immediately destroyed by the sight of parking tickets.
My family and friends train for four hours every weekend for our climb up Mount Kinabalu.
We try to park in the small carpark but usually have to settle for roadside parking, at times fighting for space with long rows of illegally parked cars along Hindhede Walk.
Every weekend, several hundred cars descend on Bukit Timah, and Sundays are worst with churchgoers competing with walkers.
There is usually no problem with illegal parking most weekends, but on June 6, I came back to see a notice of parking offence on my windscreen.
Yes, I admit that I parked on a continuous white line, which was illegal, as did several others who were similarly penalised.
But as Bukit Timah is so popular and there are only two small roads leading to a few small condominiums, can we not have some special allowance for weekend parking?
Charles Lee
