Singapore – Another incident of a stray golf ball passing through the netting and almost hitting Changi Jurassic Mile visitors has made members of the public comment on the poor planning involved.
On Saturday (Nov 14), Facebook page All Singapore Stuff uploaded a photo collage of the recent incidents involving stray golf balls landing on the Changi Jurassic Mile pathway, some hitting unaware visitors. “Put the net liao see what dino? This type of poor planning cannot fix one, lah,” read the caption.
The Jurassic Mile is Singapore’s newest outdoor attraction which officially opened on Oct 11 to the public. It stretches over a kilometre long, showcasing more than 20 different pre-historic creatures. The display is a part of the new 3.5 km Changi Airport Connector which allows visitors to get to and from the airport and the city.
On Oct 22, a domestic helper was hit on the head by a flying golf ball that came from the nearby Tanah Merah Country Club golf course. In response to the incident, a vertical netting was erected on top of the original fencing separating the two venues.
Then on Nov 1, local actor Chen Tian Wen informed the public that a golf ball had landed five feet from his family during their visit. It had almost hit another visitor. “What is scary is not (the dinosaurs at) Jurassic Mile but rather the silent flying golf balls,” he said in an Instagram post. “Who knows when an accident could happen, so I hope the authorities can strengthen safety measures.”
Two days after, on Nov 3, the Changi Airport Group (CAG) installed an overhead netting to ensure visitors’ safety. “As part of planned safety enhancement measures, overhead netting has been installed at the Jurassic Mile in addition to the vertical netting which was installed earlier,” said the CAG in a mothership.sg report.
Members from the online community noted the golf club is not at fault. They questioned if the planners of the Jurassic Mile foresaw the possibility of stray golf balls entering the premises. “The people who built this need to answer and also bare the medical costs,” said Facebook user Ivan Ho.
“Should have put the fence on the other side, closer to the golf course so the dinosaurs can still be seen from the trail,” commented Facebook user A.j. Kasetyo. “This is another case of poor planning and consideration for the user in mind. This sort of ‘think first, worry later’ approach to problems is a poor sign of leadership and management.”
“In OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Audit & Certification) risk assessment, it would be negligence and a reckless act of any management to refuse elimination of any risk identified during the planning design stage,” mentioned Facebook user Cuda Benben. The individual added that the affected visitors could sue for damages incurred.
Read related: Helper gets head injury from flying golf ball on visit to Changi Jurassic Mile