What do you find more convenient here?

[malcontent]

Yesterday I was talking to a recent transplant from Malaysia and I was a little surprised when he mentioned that Singapore is more convenient — I asked why, and he said it was due to the compact size and how you can get from place to place quickly.

I commuted by BMW (bus, MRT, walk) for 25 years which took almost an hour each way, often standing room only. I found ways to enjoy it, so no complaints - - but convenient? No.

I can’t think of many standouts, but when driving, here are a few conveniences that I appreciate in my area:

- Jelita is easy in and out most times, first hour free parking

- Tanglin Post Office is usually easy, without a long line

- Esso stations with pay at the pump and a DBS ATM on site

- Drive thru car wash down the road is decent

- Drive thru McD at Stevens/Bt Timah when it’s not backed up

Anything I’m missing?

[NYY1]

"More convenient" vs where?

-I think this partly depends on how close your home/office is to major transport (i.e MRT) but if close there is usually a wide variety of food available (pickup on way home, kids can pickup on way back, etc). Trade-off is more noise/traffic.

-Short, direct transport on MRT is often faster than driving (at peak times) and more consistent.

-Kids can transport themselves around to sports lessons, go out to buy things, etc (saves parents time if they are occupied with something else).

[malcontent]

"More convenient" vs where?

-I think this partly depends on how close your home/office is to major transport (i.e MRT) but if close there is usually a wide variety of food available (pickup on way home, kids can pickup on way back, etc). Trade-off is more noise/traffic.

-Short, direct transport on MRT is often faster than driving (at peak times) and more consistent.

-Kids can transport themselves around to sports lessons, go out to buy things, etc (saves parents time if they are occupied with something else).

This might explain something:

- my office is out in Jurong near Tuas

[NYY1]

This might explain something:

- my office is out in Jurong near Tuas

I think most convenience items are available anywhere or they are not. The questions are a) is suitable employment near the home/school and b) if so, can one afford the property?

Even in the non-central areas, I think an OCR neighborhood here and a suburban area in a large metro are similar in that kids don't need to travel far to school (assume just go to school nearby in both) and food, shops, etc are in close reach. However, very often one or both parents will need to travel out to work. There will be a difference in driving vs. public transport (and one may be preferred) but from a time perspective it's more or less the same. Or, in both cases all of the employment may be very nearby (secondary office clusters, other jobs, etc).

Take Los Angeles, which would generally be considered an inconvenient place (spread out and difficult to drive), can still be convenient if housing and work are within close proximity of UCLA (i.e. work in Century City). But of course this is high cost housing so many would need to commute in even if working there (and if need to go downtown for work than that's a different story). Again, one major difference would be transport for kids. In Los Angeles (or many major metro areas) it will be very difficult for them to go anywhere on their own before the late teenage years.

[x9200]

Public transport in Singapore is well designed to provide frequent and affordable commuting reaching probably all inhabited areas of the island but whether this is convenient or not definitely depends on the live-work-school combination. In that respect it is not any better IMO than any other major city.

It used to take my wife 1.5h to drive our son to his previous school and later go to her workplace. Now, a different school, it is more like 20-30min.
It takes me 15-20 min to get to work by motorcycle, same by car, but if I leave half an hour later it would be 40-50min by car. If I use public transport, it would be 1-1.5h. So many factors, all relative.

What I think is distinctively more convenient in Singapore is what arises from the safety. E.g. no problem to let your kid go/return from school using public transport from any area and with any number of transport changes.

Shops and such... we do not use the physical ones regularly for few years already. Unless some specific food/goods are needed or for better variety. Actually last time I was in Jelita I had this thought again, who would still buy in places like this? Not in the sense of course that there is something wrong with them, but the number of customers must have dropped dramatically comparing to the situation a decade ago. Apparently it is still profitable.

[malcontent]

Public transport in Singapore is well designed to provide frequent and affordable commuting reaching probably all inhabited areas of the island but whether this is convenient or not definitely depends on the live-work-school combination. In that respect it is not any better IMO than any other major city.

It used to take my wife 1.5h to drive our son to his previous school and later go to her workplace. Now, a different school, it is more like 20-30min.
It takes me 15-20 min to get to work by motorcycle, same by car, but if I leave half an hour later it would be 40-50min by car. If I use public transport, it would be 1-1.5h. So many factors, all relative.

What I think is distinctively more convenient in Singapore is what arises from the safety. E.g. no problem to let your kid go/return from school using public transport from any area and with any number of transport changes.

Shops and such... we do not use the physical ones regularly for few years already. Unless some specific food/goods are needed or for better variety. Actually last time I was in Jelita I had this thought again, who would still buy in places like this? Not in the sense of course that there is something wrong with them, but the number of customers must have dropped dramatically comparing to the situation a decade ago. Apparently it is still profitable.

All great points. My wife drives both of my kids to school every morning - not because she can’t let them go on their own, but because it’s about the only quality time she has with them.

From the Holland area to Bishan takes 30 mins and then to Woodlands takes another 30 mins, returning back to the Holland area takes 45 to a hour, up to 1.5h round trip.

Thinking back when I was a kid growing up in a small town in the Midwest, safety was not a major concern. I started working part time after high school by age 16, and the income went to make car payments (co-signed by my dad)… so I drove myself to school/work - I am sure this is very different than most parts of the world, especially Asia, but it was definitely convenient (both for me and my parents).

I have often gotten sticker shock when I walk into Cold Storage. I think they tried pushing prices higher (from the already high prices) a few years back… but I think they backed off after things got real quiet in their stores. Still, there are a few things I get at CS that can’t be bought at NTUC, like frozen bagels and Sharwoods Jalfrezi. And, for basic things like milk, cheese and bread - there’s no real price difference. I will probably go to CS about once a month, either for convenience and/or pick up a few exclusive items.

I forgot to mention one of the biggest conveniences I have (but unique to my condo) is a mini mart about 30 steps from my lift lobby; prices aren’t over the top crazy. That is distinctly convenient, I have to admit!

[smoulder]

"More convenient" vs where?

I think this is important. Your frame of reference.

If I were to compare why Singapore is more convenient compared to Bangalore which is where I was before I moved here, it will be quite a long list. Not the least of the reasons would be public transport and getting around despite having a car there for a fraction of what it costs here. The other reasons would be the ease of getting things done - examples would be from government agencies to banking to utilities. All much easier here.

Since my wife is an ex Malaysian I am not surprised that Mals Malaysian colleague talked about convenience - my wife also pretty much says the same thing. Many of the reasons why she thinks so are similar to the ones I mentioned in my comparison to Bangalore.

[malcontent]

Regardless of the comparison, it is interesting to hear different perspectives.

I’ve only been to India twice… but I’ve spent months at a time in Malaysia and I’ve always driven a car when I’m there, so never felt especially inconvenient. Back when I worked there, it actually seemed a lot more convenient, because I didn’t have a car back in Singapore. I used to hit McDonalds for breakfast on the way into the office, no drive thru, but it was only a 20 minute commute. I usually went out for lunch, less than 10 minutes to the mall - I still remember this amazing Penang chicken curry for RM4, huge portion, and the meat just fell off the bone. Those were the days!

[Lisafuller]

Yesterday I was talking to a recent transplant from Malaysia and I was a little surprised when he mentioned that Singapore is more convenient — I asked why, and he said it was due to the compact size and how you can get from place to place quickly.

I commuted by BMW (bus, MRT, walk) for 25 years which took almost an hour each way, often standing room only. I found ways to enjoy it, so no complaints - - but convenient? No.

I can’t think of many standouts, but when driving, here are a few conveniences that I appreciate in my area:

- Jelita is easy in and out most times, first hour free parking

- Tanglin Post Office is usually easy, without a long line

- Esso stations with pay at the pump and a DBS ATM on site

- Drive thru car wash down the road is decent

- Drive thru McD at Stevens/Bt Timah when it’s not backed up

Anything I’m missing?

I must agree, while the public transport system is really extensive and well developed, I'd say commuting via public transport is still far from convenient. The buses come at irregular timings and intervals, traffic can get pretty bad during peak hours, trains are crowded, and it's rare that you'll be able to take a direct route to your destination from your point of departure without having to change buses or trains a couple times. Still, it's a hell of a lot better than some other countries.

[Lisafuller]

"More convenient" vs where?

-I think this partly depends on how close your home/office is to major transport (i.e MRT) but if close there is usually a wide variety of food available (pickup on way home, kids can pickup on way back, etc). Trade-off is more noise/traffic.

-Short, direct transport on MRT is often faster than driving (at peak times) and more consistent.

-Kids can transport themselves around to sports lessons, go out to buy things, etc (saves parents time if they are occupied with something else).

I love living in Bukit Timah, but something that really sucks is that it's not really built for people who don't drive. If I didn't have a car, I imagine I'd be pretty miserable. The nearest bus stop is quite a distance away, as is the MRT. There are also practically no hawker centers or food courts around which means we have to drive out to get dinner. No markets either, just a CS fresh and market place. When my daughter was in primary school, she had a school bus service which would take her to and from school, but once she got to secondary school she had to take public transport. Most of the route was fine, but the last bit when she would get off the bus and have to walk home was pretty tiring as it's a 15 minute walk uphill.

[Lisafuller]

This might explain something:

- my office is out in Jurong near Tuas

I think most convenience items are available anywhere or they are not. The questions are a) is suitable employment near the home/school and b) if so, can one afford the property?

Even in the non-central areas, I think an OCR neighborhood here and a suburban area in a large metro are similar in that kids don't need to travel far to school (assume just go to school nearby in both) and food, shops, etc are in close reach. However, very often one or both parents will need to travel out to work. There will be a difference in driving vs. public transport (and one may be preferred) but from a time perspective it's more or less the same. Or, in both cases all of the employment may be very nearby (secondary office clusters, other jobs, etc).

Take Los Angeles, which would generally be considered an inconvenient place (spread out and difficult to drive), can still be convenient if housing and work are within close proximity of UCLA (i.e. work in Century City). But of course this is high cost housing so many would need to commute in even if working there (and if need to go downtown for work than that's a different story). Again, one major difference would be transport for kids. In Los Angeles (or many major metro areas) it will be very difficult for them to go anywhere on their own before the late teenage years.

Yup, a problem with the US is that because of the lack of public transport and lack of walkability in most areas, it's very hard to get around without a car. This means that parents are stuck ferrying their kids around until they turn 16, after which it becomes very useful to have an additional set of wheels around in the family.

[Lisafuller]

Public transport in Singapore is well designed to provide frequent and affordable commuting reaching probably all inhabited areas of the island but whether this is convenient or not definitely depends on the live-work-school combination. In that respect it is not any better IMO than any other major city.

It used to take my wife 1.5h to drive our son to his previous school and later go to her workplace. Now, a different school, it is more like 20-30min.
It takes me 15-20 min to get to work by motorcycle, same by car, but if I leave half an hour later it would be 40-50min by car. If I use public transport, it would be 1-1.5h. So many factors, all relative.

What I think is distinctively more convenient in Singapore is what arises from the safety. E.g. no problem to let your kid go/return from school using public transport from any area and with any number of transport changes.

Shops and such... we do not use the physical ones regularly for few years already. Unless some specific food/goods are needed or for better variety. Actually last time I was in Jelita I had this thought again, who would still buy in places like this? Not in the sense of course that there is something wrong with them, but the number of customers must have dropped dramatically comparing to the situation a decade ago. Apparently it is still profitable.

Great point, in singapore because of how safe it is, it's totally fine to have your kids get to school and back by themselves, whether it's by bus, MRT, or walking if the school is close enough. In the US, you'd have to drive your kid or have to take the school bus. My SIL had to drive her kids to school every single day, even though they lived just a mile or two away. Really inconvenient.

[Lisafuller]

Public transport in Singapore is well designed to provide frequent and affordable commuting reaching probably all inhabited areas of the island but whether this is convenient or not definitely depends on the live-work-school combination. In that respect it is not any better IMO than any other major city.

It used to take my wife 1.5h to drive our son to his previous school and later go to her workplace. Now, a different school, it is more like 20-30min.
It takes me 15-20 min to get to work by motorcycle, same by car, but if I leave half an hour later it would be 40-50min by car. If I use public transport, it would be 1-1.5h. So many factors, all relative.

What I think is distinctively more convenient in Singapore is what arises from the safety. E.g. no problem to let your kid go/return from school using public transport from any area and with any number of transport changes.

Shops and such... we do not use the physical ones regularly for few years already. Unless some specific food/goods are needed or for better variety. Actually last time I was in Jelita I had this thought again, who would still buy in places like this? Not in the sense of course that there is something wrong with them, but the number of customers must have dropped dramatically comparing to the situation a decade ago. Apparently it is still profitable.

All great points. My wife drives both of my kids to school every morning - not because she can’t let them go on their own, but because it’s about the only quality time she has with them.

From the Holland area to Bishan takes 30 mins and then to Woodlands takes another 30 mins, returning back to the Holland area takes 45 to a hour, up to 1.5h round trip.

Thinking back when I was a kid growing up in a small town in the Midwest, safety was not a major concern. I started working part time after high school by age 16, and the income went to make car payments (co-signed by my dad)… so I drove myself to school/work - I am sure this is very different than most parts of the world, especially Asia, but it was definitely convenient (both for me and my parents).

I have often gotten sticker shock when I walk into Cold Storage. I think they tried pushing prices higher (from the already high prices) a few years back… but I think they backed off after things got real quiet in their stores. Still, there are a few things I get at CS that can’t be bought at NTUC, like frozen bagels and Sharwoods Jalfrezi. And, for basic things like milk, cheese and bread - there’s no real price difference. I will probably go to CS about once a month, either for convenience and/or pick up a few exclusive items.

I forgot to mention one of the biggest conveniences I have (but unique to my condo) is a mini mart about 30 steps from my lift lobby; prices aren’t over the top crazy. That is distinctly convenient, I have to admit!

Well, you do have to remember that that was a different time, guns were not as big of a problem as they are now, and also, you are a man. I would never have felt safe letting my little girl walk to school on her own when she was younger.

We also have a mini mart in our condo! This is something I'm so grateful for because they stock such a wide variety of items at low prices. My only gripe is that they kind of close whenever they feel like it, so you have to get there early if you want to have a shot at getting something.

[Lisafuller]

"More convenient" vs where?

I think this is important. Your frame of reference.

If I were to compare why Singapore is more convenient compared to Bangalore which is where I was before I moved here, it will be quite a long list. Not the least of the reasons would be public transport and getting around despite having a car there for a fraction of what it costs here. The other reasons would be the ease of getting things done - examples would be from government agencies to banking to utilities. All much easier here.

Since my wife is an ex Malaysian I am not surprised that Mals Malaysian colleague talked about convenience - my wife also pretty much says the same thing. Many of the reasons why she thinks so are similar to the ones I mentioned in my comparison to Bangalore.

I was in Jaipur a couple weeks back for a friends wedding - India is gorgeous but the traffic is absolutely insane. I thought Singapore was bad...

[x9200]

Public transport in Singapore is well designed to provide frequent and affordable commuting reaching probably all inhabited areas of the island but whether this is convenient or not definitely depends on the live-work-school combination. In that respect it is not any better IMO than any other major city.

It used to take my wife 1.5h to drive our son to his previous school and later go to her workplace. Now, a different school, it is more like 20-30min.
It takes me 15-20 min to get to work by motorcycle, same by car, but if I leave half an hour later it would be 40-50min by car. If I use public transport, it would be 1-1.5h. So many factors, all relative.

What I think is distinctively more convenient in Singapore is what arises from the safety. E.g. no problem to let your kid go/return from school using public transport from any area and with any number of transport changes.

Shops and such... we do not use the physical ones regularly for few years already. Unless some specific food/goods are needed or for better variety. Actually last time I was in Jelita I had this thought again, who would still buy in places like this? Not in the sense of course that there is something wrong with them, but the number of customers must have dropped dramatically comparing to the situation a decade ago. Apparently it is still profitable.

All great points. My wife drives both of my kids to school every morning - not because she can’t let them go on their own, but because it’s about the only quality time she has with them.

From the Holland area to Bishan takes 30 mins and then to Woodlands takes another 30 mins, returning back to the Holland area takes 45 to a hour, up to 1.5h round trip.

Thinking back when I was a kid growing up in a small town in the Midwest, safety was not a major concern. I started working part time after high school by age 16, and the income went to make car payments (co-signed by my dad)… so I drove myself to school/work - I am sure this is very different than most parts of the world, especially Asia, but it was definitely convenient (both for me and my parents).

I have often gotten sticker shock when I walk into Cold Storage. I think they tried pushing prices higher (from the already high prices) a few years back… but I think they backed off after things got real quiet in their stores. Still, there are a few things I get at CS that can’t be bought at NTUC, like frozen bagels and Sharwoods Jalfrezi. And, for basic things like milk, cheese and bread - there’s no real price difference. I will probably go to CS about once a month, either for convenience and/or pick up a few exclusive items.

I forgot to mention one of the biggest conveniences I have (but unique to my condo) is a mini mart about 30 steps from my lift lobby; prices aren’t over the top crazy. That is distinctly convenient, I have to admit!

Well, you do have to remember that that was a different time, guns were not as big of a problem as they are now, and also, you are a man. I would never have felt safe letting my little girl walk to school on her own when she was younger.

We also have a mini mart in our condo! This is something I'm so grateful for because they stock such a wide variety of items at low prices. My only gripe is that they kind of close whenever they feel like it, so you have to get there early if you want to have a shot at getting something.

Yes, mini mart is something nice to have (we have one too), but I wonder how common is to have in the condo an ice cream vending machine? Ben and Jerry (including pint sizes), Magnum, some cones. Not a great variety perhaps, for obvious reasons, but still. And not that much overprised actually.

Plus another two vending machines for bread and some snacks.

Also a parcel locker, but this is I guess already a standard and in a way double edge sword - speed post and dhl always leave the parcels there and even not bother to check if somebody is at home. But only these two.