By Mavis Toh

THE row of 12 terrace houses occupy no more than 200m along Upper Thomson Road. But the stretch probably poses the biggest problem for pedestrians.

Last Sunday, Mrs Helen Wee, 76, died instantly when a car ploughed into her and her husband as they were walking from their nearby Soo Chow Garden Road home to the Church of the Holy Spirit, located just after the row of terrace houses.

Her husband Peter, also 76, survived but was left with injuries to the head, back and arms.

Mr Wee blamed the cars parked outside the houses for the accident. He said he and his wife had to walk on the road alongside traffic as cars were parked on the walkway.

Double yellow lines deter drivers from parking on the road. So they resort to leaving their vehicles on the pedestrian walkway.

When The Straits Times visited that stretch at 8am yesterday, pedestrians were seen walking on the road. It was peak hour and traffic was heavy.

Seven cars were parked on or between the walkway outside the terrace houses, leaving little, if any, room for pedestrians.

Filipino maid Leticia Encarnado is one person who has to walk on the road as she makes her daily trip to a nearby coffee shop from Bright Hill Drive.

'There were a few times the buses came so close that I thought they were going to knock me down,' said the 29-year-old, who has been making the five-minute walk for the past year to buy breakfast for her employers.

'Thankfully, I haven't been hurt.'

Pedestrians interviewed said the parked cars and open gates make for difficult walking, so they resort to walking on the road.

Residents living along the stretch said they have no choice but to park their second and third cars outside their gates because their driveways are not big enough.

Others said they had previously tried to park their vehicles at the nearby Bright Hill Drive or Jalan Keli but stopped when they were issued summonses for illegal parking.

Under the Parking Places Act and the Road Traffic Act, vehicles can park only in designated parking lots.

Cars parked outside the gates of private houses have been fined for illegal parking and for causing obstruction.

Even residents with only one car said they park their vehicle outside because it is hard to reverse into the compound when traffic is heavy. Their compounds were seen littered with tables, shoe cabinets and hanging laundry.

Asked if the cars parked along the stretch made it dangerous for walking, most residents said it was safe - if pedestrians were careful.

One resident who declined to be named said: 'They should squeeze between the cars and houses instead of being lazy and walking on the road.'

Accountant Tan Wee Leng, 31, suggested that the pavement be widened so pedestrians still have room to walk even if residents park their vehicles outside.

mavistoh@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

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