Commentary--Orchard Road(27)

Orchard Road in Singapore can be considered a paradise of shopping, and it is also the most important part of Singapore because of its economic status. In order to make Orchard Road a better place for shopping, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had a $40-million makeover of Orchard Road. However, I do not think it worth so much money refurbishing Orchard Road because the changes were so inconspicuous but people are expecting tremendous changes, it just disappointed them. Furthermore, the construction of Orchard Road affected a lot of people. Actually, the government can use the money more properly.
People are bothered in many aspects. Firstly, the noise from the construction work was almost unbearable. People who live there complain a lot because they could not have a good rest hearing such loud noises. Instead of a shopping center, what greets them is“Tat-tat-tat……” Many tourists are annoyed by the noise as well. Secondly, many shoppers are limited to access to certain areas because these areas are blocked. For example, Dan Stevens, who was on holiday, wanted to go shopping with his wife, but they found it difficult to find their way around because of the blocked areas. Moreover, the one-lane closure causes lots of traffic jams. These annoyances will certainly affect the business in Orchard Road----shopkeepers do not earn as much as they used to do, and customers cannot get goods they want. Obviously, the makeover is disadvantageous for both mall owners and customers.
It seems that $40 million is not used properly; it can be used for other more significant purposes. Many people claimed that they did not notice the change of Orchard Road at all, they thought that for $40 million, the government should make great changes to surprise them, however, what they saw really let them down. When I went to Orchard Road last week, I noticed nothing except the glass panel. I do not understand why STB spent such a large sum of money to make changes which are really inconspicuous. Although the money is mainly used for landscaping, cutting-edge street lighting, energy saving and glass panels as well these contributions are not remarkable enough. Instead of close one lane to widen the walkway; the government could improve underpasses between shopping malls so that there are no traffic jams any more. Besides, we can upgrade the escalators between Far East Plaza and Royal Plaza hotel. This will be more effective.
In conclusion, I think that spending $40 million on Orchard Road facelift is unseemly, because it annoys people in many aspects. For example, some areas are blocked, and noise from the construction disturb others a lot. Moreover, people feel disappointed since the changes can hardly be noticed. As a result, the money should be used more properly.