Residents at Melville Park in Simei have been waking up to the same scene every single day. Actually, scene might be too kind. Right outside the condo’s side gate near the bus stop, bicycles are everywhere. Not neatly parked. Not politely lined up. Just… dumped. Nearly 70 of them. On walkways. Near bus stop seats. Blocking paths like they own the place.
As a result, commuters are forced to “siam” bikes just to catch their bus. Elderly residents slow down. Parents with strollers struggle. And anyone rushing to work? Good luck lah.
A Daily Mess That’s Not Going Away
According to residents, this is not a one-off problem. It has been going on for months. Worse still, it peaks at night. That’s when the bicycle count seems to magically multiply.
When reporters visited the area on the night of December 10, the situation was exactly as described online. About 70 bicycles were found parked in a completely disorderly manner. Some were placed directly on the public walkway. Others were piled into corners. Several were scattered right around the bus stop, disrupting the natural flow of foot traffic.
Even while reporters were there, more cyclists rode in and parked without a second thought. Shared bikes. Personal bikes. All welcome. All parked anyhow.
Bus Stop or Bicycle Storage?
Photos circulating online show bicycles blocking bus stop seating. Passengers had to walk around them just to board buses. Residents entering the condo’s side gate faced the same issue. Bikes were sticking out into the pathway, turning a simple walk into a mini obstacle course.
One resident shared that the problem has become part of daily life. Another added that during peak hours, the area gets especially chaotic. Everyone is rushing, yet bicycles are parked like time doesn’t exist.
To make things worse, some bicycles appear abandoned. Dusty frames. Rust forming. Shared bikes left untouched. Slowly but surely, the pile grows.
Shared Bikes, Shared Responsibility (Please)
Let’s be real. Shared bicycles are meant to improve convenience, not block public spaces. Walkways are for walking. Bus stops are for waiting, not bike storage.
Residents are now calling on the authorities to step in. They want stronger enforcement. Clearer rules. And maybe, just maybe, consequences for those who treat public areas like their personal parking lot.
They are also urging users to park responsibly. Because shared spaces only work when people actually share them properly.
My Take: This Is Fixable, So Why Isn’t It Fixed?
Honestly? This one feels very avoidable.
We all know who’s using these bikes. We also know how the system works. If people can unlock bikes with QR codes, then surely locations can be controlled too, right?
Melville Park is starting to feel less like a peaceful Simei condo and more like “Mumbai Park.” Harsh, but the chaos speaks for itself. The simplest fix? Remove the parking QR code from that location. No QR, no parking. Problem mostly solved.
Technology created this mess. Technology can clean it up. Just need the will to do it.
Until then, residents will keep siam-ing bikes. And public walkways will keep losing to bad parking habits.
