Adopt safer strategy for trees, plants at roadsides, car parks

Singapore is known for its tree-lined roads, urban ecology and community landscaping. Trees make travel more comfortable by providing shade and beautifying our city.

I like the Yellow Flame, Muntingia tree, rain tree and especially the trumpet tree, with its pink and white flowers akin to Japan’s cherry blossoms.

I am unsure, however, whether safety and environmental concerns are still a small price to pay for this joy. Though tree management and inspections are in place, fallen branches and trees are common after severe thunderstorms.

These not only obstruct traffic but have also caused injuries (“Woman in intensive care after being hit by falling tree in car park”; Feb 14).

We may need to realign our landscape strategy for roads and car parks, more for functional reasons than for aesthetic ones.

Furthermore, landscaping and maintenance are labour-intensive, and with our busy traffic, tree pruning on the road is another safety concern, even on weekends. It seems an ongoing effort, and the roadside environment is harsh and also disturbed by construction.

My thinking is that along road dividers, waist-height plants such as bougainvilleas, which can be sustained in hot weather, should be planted instead. This would reduce the number of branches overhanging the roads, as they can also obstruct road users’ vision.

Another way is to use potted plants or portable trees to make roadside maintenance sustainable and minimal. With the portable concept, and using shallow-rooting plants, our roads can be upgraded regularly and construction work could be easier.

With proper planning, we could redeploy landscape workers to parks and community gardens, which we should continue to enrich and which have a positive impact on the environment and livelihoods.

Let us weigh safety and sustainability seriously. Roadside trees must not be a hindrance, despite their benefits. They are an important part of the city landscape, but above all, the safety of road users and landscape workers cannot be compromised.