Posh neighbourhood or tour bus carpark?

Recently, I have read a newspaper article entitled "Posh neighborhood or tour bus carpark?" in the Straits' Times, Wednesday 23 March 2011.

The article was about tourist buses parking along the roads of upmarket Draycott Park and Ardmore Park. The residents there are very fed-up with buses which pull up daily to park illegally in their neighborhood. The area is so crowded on weekends that it looks more like a temporary carpark for tour buses than a verdant, exclusive residential area just off Scotts Road.

The residents are making noise for a reason, and I will list the major ones here.

1. With so many huge buses just standing on the roadside, there is bound to be traffic obstruction which will surely frustrate any Singaporean, not only these unfortunate residents. Waiting in the car for who knows how long is surely very frustrating, especially when one is in a hurry to go somewhere.

2. These tour buses are waiting while their passengers shop and also waiting to pick up guests from Orchard Road for city tours. Of course, these waits will be quite long and therefore no bus driver, no matter how good teir education is, will be stupid enough to sweat profusely in this hot weather instead of letting the engine run to get that precious air-conditioning. Leaving the engine on in buses will result in the engine making booming, rumbling noises the whole time the bus is waiting there. And there is not only one bus there. Tens of tens of buses, all with their engines on!! Imagine the noise! How can one focus on doing schoolwork, work, housework or anything else?? No wonder even these civilized people are also making a scene.

3. The residents also complain of heaps of shopping bags, boxes and even broken suitcases left behind by inconsiderate tourists after the buses drive off. Who likes their posh neighborhood, where only loaded people live, looking more like the city dump?? Who likes tripping over stuff which should not be there?? Those broken suitcases aren't a pretty sight either and what's more, nobody wants them except for the rag-and-bone man.

I think that the people who should take the responsibility, not the blame here should be the bus drivers. They should not be parking their buses along the roads as these will cause a lot of inconvenience to others even if it benefits themselves. they should also try to caution tourists tactfully that they should not leave their unwanted items along the roadside. After all, tourism is a big industry and hence we should not chase them away by chiding them lest they get offended.