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.htmlLooking 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.