MY LOCAL SINGAPORE STREETS

The main entrance to Ion Orchard Mall

I thought I would give you guys a glimpse of some of the area near to where I am staying here in Singapore.  Most days I walk down Paterson Road, past a major construction zone, towards my nearest Mall, Ion Orchard which houses my local MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) train station.  The MRT is a very easy and inexpensive way to get around Singapore, that, along with a fantastic bus system, plentiful taxis and good old "hoofing it",  it's pretty easy to get everywhere without having a car.

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My apartment is behind this construction zone on Paterson Road.

 Cars here in Singapore are hugely expensive, not only is buying the car itself expensive but you have to apply for a Government enforced Certificate of Entitlement before you can even buy a car.  The COE's are restricted and you must bid for them, this is done mainly to control how many cars are on the island to prevent traffic congestion.  For more info check out the blue button at the bottom of this post.

There are numerous Starbucks outlets here in the Orchard Road area but the one I like most is opposite the Hyatt Hotel on Scotts Road.  It's nice to sit and watch the busy bustle of Singapore go by.  When the kids were here I think they were struck by how "un-asian" Singapore is, not at all what they expected.  As you can see from the videos there are wonderful modern buildings interspersed with little restaurant kiosks and cafes open to the outside.  Traffic is busy, busy, busy here but again the Government imposed ERP or electronic toll areas control the traffic.  Vehicles have a transponder which automatically deducts the toll when you pass through an ERP area.  The price varies depending on the time of day.  Also all the car parks here use the transponder system so there are no worries about paying and displaying etc., your car parking fee just gets deducted automatically via the transponder when you exit.  I think this is a great idea, except of course that you have to pay for parking lol!

1.  Don't be a chicken - cross the road!

2. A busy intersection, Scotts and Orchard.

3. Where's my coffee?!

4. Can I walk, talk & record?!

CERTIFICATE OF ENTITLEMENT INFO

ERP INFO

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