SINGAPORE: A Singaporean took to Reddit to express how they felt about something relatively new—the chimes on the MRT. On a thread on r/Singapore on Mar 19, u/SkyIndependent5758 wondered if they were the only one getting annoyed by the chimes.
“This may be petty but hear me out – the new chimes are too long, too loud and just plain irritating. Its especially bad for those with long commutes and it is causing a lot of fatigue.
“What was wrong with the old chime? Anyone else feel the same?” the Reddit user posted.
And after getting many responses, they added an edit to the original post, writing, “We gotta let SMRT know so many people are VERY dissatisfied by these badly created chimes!”
The new chimes started rolling out in late October last year. SMRT said then that it would try out the new chimes in a three-month pilot, and would be based on familiar local tunes.
And while the pilot was tested only in select trains, SMRT said last month that it would continue to roll out the new chimes and jingles in all of the trains and stations from Feb 14 onward.
CNA reported in February that netizens had been uploading clips of the “cheery and upbeat,” but commenters on u/SkyIndependent5758 did not seem to be in agreement with those descriptors.
Some were unhappy with the length of the chimes and jingles, saying they were too long.
“It’s obnoxious that the chime lasts longer than 2 notes, because it hijacks your attention and interrupts your train of thought. Moreover, its accompanying verbal announcement is still needlessly loud. And the incessant ‘please mind the platform gap’ and ‘doors are closing, DOO DOO DOO’ nonsense are just as intrusive,” wrote one commenter.
Some suggested that u/SkyIndependent5758 invest in a pair of noise-cancelling earbuds, saying that these are “life-changers.”
“If you have long commutes, they’re worth every penny,” one wrote.
Another said that if earbuds are too pricey, earplugs would do as well.
For others, it’s the quality of the chimes that was the issue. “Omg. I find them ‘messy’… like the tune/tempo like not done perfectly, there’s no flow. Idk how to explain it,” one wrote.
“Feels like it wasn’t purposefully composed, more like randomly generated notes put together sporadically,” another chimed in.
One Reddit user wrote, “Feels like a primary school bell from the 90s. Not to cr*p on the person who led this initiative but this is a massive waste of resources and shows that Smrt has too much bloat and need to start layoffs.”
Mr Samuel Wong, creative director at The Teng Company, explained in a LinkedIn post the reason for the chimes, writing, “We worked so hard on this because we wanted to build a more inclusive Singaporean society. We hope to give our visually impaired friends more dignity and respect.” /TISG
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