Getting around

I love cities that inspire walking because there’s actually appealing destinations I can reach as a pedestrian. For me, walking in circles because it is good for me is mind-numbingly boring. I’m too task-oriented for that—walking is a means to an end, not an end in itself—if I get exercise as a side effect for going somewhere, fine. But that’s not why I walk; I walk to get there.

Singapore has plenty of destinations within easy walking distance under “normal” (for me, flat terrain and climate-wise) circumstances—within a mile or two of wherever I start. But the heat and humidity here often make walking distinctly unpleasant. Which is why I wax poetic about Singapore’s public transportation system.

Public transportation often makes me happy (I even love it in London, where everyone complains), so it’s no surprise that public transportation here makes me nearly giddy. Within 500 yards of my flat are eight bus stops. Less than 8 minutes' stroll is the Serangoon Station on the new Circle subway line. That's my local stop, open (along with four others) six months ahead of schedule. The Circle line is advertised to be complete in 2011, though as efficient as the first phase of construction was, I bet it won’t open on schedule, it will open early.

Plan A, when I first arrived, was to ride a unique bus route every day. I'd begin with the lowest bus route number and work up to the highest. This vision of observing and learning about a city and its inhabitants by riding buses in numerical order from terminus to terminus was not (sadly) my original idea. I read a column written by a London bus rider who started at lowest numbered London bus and is working his way through all of London’s varied routes. I hoped to emulate his systematic approach and dedication (and glean similar insights about life) in Singapore.

Like many plans hatched in the abstract, mine wasn’t very practical. Despite its geographic compactness and smaller population, Singapore has HUNDREDS upon hundreds of bus routes, many more than in London. I did not know that when I arrived (and presumed there'd be fewer), but I sure know it now. That’s part of the charm of getting around, why people can live within an easy few minutes’ walk to half a dozen bus stops and subway stations.

Plan A couldn't be done in semester. Not even if I devoted most of my time to it--I'd have to ride at least 3 or 4 entire bus routes every single day--and many bus lines here take 1.5 to 2 hours, terminus to terminus, except during rush hours (7 am-9 am, and 5 pm to 9 pm) when it can take much longer. There aren't enough hours in the day, or enough days, period,to do that. So I've devised a substitute, homage with a twist to my bus riding hero. It is an adventure (I hope it is an adventure) that I can feasibly accomplish if I'm persistent. It would be nice to FINISH ONE THING.

Instead chronic bus riding, Plan B will put me in touch with my inner mole (or maybe inner groundhog?). Plan B is to ride every subway line start to finish in the next two months. This will be MUCH easier than riding hundreds of buses, since there are really only 3.5 subway lines [the Circle line is only 5 stops long so far, hardly even .5 of a subway line] covering much of the island. To keep this in a spirit that parallels the twin potential for discovery and boredom that bus riding provides, I have added my own twist to what will count for me in terms of riding and observing on public transportation. Unlike my bus-riding hero, who merely observes, I will also act. I will pop above ground at every subway stop for at least ten minutes of surface walking around the vicinity of each station. I will also talk to at least one person encountered during each stop, attempting something beyond just ordering kopi and kava or asking directions. Stops don't count without both surface time and chatter. That way, maybe I’ll get a flavor for some of Singapore's distinctive neighborhoods while my democratic approach offers potential to surprise/annoy/enchant innocent bystanders all over the island. Why limit my exposure to funeral attendees and hell god birthday celebrants and laundry spectators?

Despite being a single city-state, my impression so far is that Singapore is more accurately a collection of (not so) small towns, each with distinctive flavors. Will this impression hold up in the light of more systematic evidence?

Counting each stop along each line, I come up with about 75 stops altogether (it would be exciting if a more new Circle line stops open before I leave).

Green Line: East West Line = 31 stops
Red Line: North South Line = 24 stops
Purple Line: North East Line = 15 stops (including one in my neighborhood)
Orange Line: Circle Line = 5 stops open (including one in my neighborhood)

Some stops interchange with other lines, so they were counted twice. There are probably really only 60ish unique stops, making an average of one stop per day for the next two months all I need for my plan to work. Maybe I’ll lavish my interchange stops with some extra attention to compensate for double counting them; maybe twice as long above ground, or pestering more of the local people? I’ll avoid them until I have a strategy I can apply to all interchanges. And of course, I’m going to be more efficient than one stop per excursion/day most of the time. After all, imbibing the cultural practices of Singapore--where efficiency matters most--creates pressure to be efficient myself. Having a full time job while I’m here also puts pretty hefty constraints on free time, especially since my home-to-work route uses buses, not subways. So for most outings, I’ll try to multi-task and knock off more than one stop at a time.

Later this afternoon I’m heading downtown at the Carleton Hotel to help recruit more students for UB Singapore. Seems like a perfect opportunity embark on Plan B. I’ll get a stop or two under my belt today.