PUBLISHED ONApril 11, 2022 5:21 AMByKhoo Yi-HangLobbying for change through proper channels can be a pretty bureaucratic process that takes time and effort, but it seems that a TikTok user has found his way around it.
TikTok user ugoahboy managed to get the attention of the authorities to remove some barriers which were preventing pedestrians from taking a shortcut across 23 Marina Way just outside Marina Bay MRT.
In a recently updated post, ugoahboy filmed the previously obstructed pathway, now cleared up and easier for pedestrians to walk across to the office buildings opposite.
@ugoahboy Reply to @jaysukk they remove the barrier!! woo!! Happy me !! #marinabay #fyp ♬ original sound - undead
"You made a difference," one user wrote on ugoahboy's post.
Tiktok user ugoahboy had complained about the inconvenient barriers outside Marina Bay MRT in four separate videos which were posted from April 5.
@ugoahboy the purpose of putting a barrier here? #fyp ♬ pluto projector - al
The videos have since garnered over 224,500 views and more than 800 likes.
After the barriers were removed, ugoahboy thanked the social media platform: "Thanks TikTok for doing [your] magic!"
It is unclear which agency had those barriers removed.
Before the barriers were removed for easier access, ugoahboy had documented two ways to get across 23 Marina Way.
One was to directly jump over the barriers dividing the pathways, which a commenter described as an "army Standard Obstacle Course".
Other users also admitted climbing over the barriers for the sake of convenience.
@ugoahboy Reply to @dilsavea The amount of replies I get is insane!! imagine rushing for time and walking one big round or going down the underpass!!#fyp #marinabay ♬ original sound - Chloe Adams
The other less acrobatic path would be to go around the barrier in a short walk that would take about two minutes, according to ugoahboy.
Ugoahboy had uploaded a video of this option, saying that this was the "usual route" taken.
@ugoahboy Reply to @firebinger the complete round if you were to follow the route #fyp ♬ Say Yes - 로꼬 & 펀치 (Punch) & 첸 (CHEN) & 백현 (BAEKHYUN) & 시우민 (XIUMIN)
Some commenters had wondered why these barriers were even there in the first place.
A user speculated that it could be a matter of oversight, that the planners for the area may not have considered the practicality of it for commuters.
Another user jokingly said that "office workers sit too much", so there was a "need to be creative to make them walk for wellness".
Regardless of the reason for the barriers or why they were removed, there's no denying that social media platforms are capable of instigating change.
Globally, TikTok has also been a key social media platform utilised by governments and political parties in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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khooyihang@asiaone.com