SINGAPORE: When a local Reddit user asked whether anyone else felt overwhelmed by the number of people in Singapore, many people chimed in with answers. In response to the post author, some shared their mechanisms for dealing with crowds.
“735.7 (sq km) hosting 5 million people. One of the densest countries in the world. Does anyone feel claustrophobic surrounded by so many people, especially during peak hours? How do you cope with it?” wrote u/BedOk577 in an r/askSingapore post on Sunday (June 15).
From the large number of responses to the post, it was obvious that the post author is not the only one who feels this way.
The top comment is from a Reddit user who shared their “ways to avoid the crowds as much as possible.”
“1. Go to work early to avoid the rush hour traffic (arrive around 7:40 a.m. at the office)
2. Leave early (around 5:00 p.m.)
3. Early lunch (11:15 a.m.)
4. Groceries are delivered regularly, so I don’t have to brave the crowded supermarkets
5. Don’t leave the house during weekends,” they wrote, adding that they ordered most of the stuff for their home and had it delivered.
When another expressed frustration: “We can’t even enjoy weekends outdoors because of crowd + heat,” many others quickly agreed.
“Exactly. Weather plus crowd are the most underrated factors to happiness, yet people only look at money and the ability to buy stuff as the happiness index,” one wrote.
Another shared the spots around the city-state that they still find relaxing, including East Coast Park, which is cooled by the wind and has parts that are not crowded.
“Or if u just want a quiet afternoon reading a book while enjoying Chagee, you can go TJPG MRT Chagee during weekends. No crowd at all. There are also a lot of small museums spread across Singapore with aircon and activities for you to try,” they wrote, adding that those who frequent touristy and main interchange areas are bound to feel overwhelmed because of the heat and crowds.
“It’s unfortunate that weekends used to be an opportunity for me to go outside without it being related to work, but now it’s a chore. Crowds everywhere, hot weather, have to jostle for everything of interest, and I really dislike how public transport frequency on the weekends is considered off-peak, which just means more people packed in trains,” wrote another.
One shared that their coping mechanism is “going on frequent trips out of Singapore haha,” but added that this can be costly.
In contrast, another wrote that they “Stay at home. Spend so much on BTO (build to order) and Reno, be at peace at home.”
Some noted that Singapore’s planners did a good job, especially compared to Hong Kong, which is less dense but feels more crowded.
“Try to go out during non-peak hours, but recently come to realise even non-peak hours are getting crowded. I always wonder where the people are coming from and where they are going. 😅 Used to go to parks for a walk but due to the recent extremely hot weather, I chose to stay home instead to do some simple decluttering or just watching videos,” wrote another. /TISG
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