Bedok

Bedok
New Town
Bedok New Town
Other transcription(s)
• Chinese	勿洛
• Pinyin	Wù Luò
• Malay	Bedok
• Tamil	பிடோ
From top left to right: Panoramic view of Bedok Reservoir, Bedok Stadium, Bedok Reservoir Estate, Bedok Town Centre, Bedok Jetty, Bedok Bus Interchange
Bedok Location of Bedok in Singapore
Coordinates:
Country	Singapore
Region	East Region
Government
• CDC	North East CDC South East CDC
• Constituencies	Aljunied GRC East Coast GRC Fengshan SMC Marine Parade GRC
• Members of Parliament	Aljunied GRC Low Thia Kiang Muhamad Faisal Manap East Coast GRC Lee Yi Shyan Lim Swee Say Maliki Osman Fengshan SMC Cheryl Chan Marine Parade GRC Edwin Tong Tan Chuan-Jin
Area
• Total	21.69 km2 (8.37 sq mi)
• Residential	4.18 km2 (1.61 sq mi)
Population (2015)
• Total	289,750
• Density	13,000/km2 (35,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Bedok resident (official) Bedoker Bedokian (informal)
Postal district	16
Dwelling units	59,205
Projected ultimate	79,000

Bedok /bəˈdɒk/ (Chinese: 勿洛, Tamil: பிடோ), officially Bedok New Town, is an urban planning area and residential town located in the eastern part of Singapore.

As the most populated town in Singapore, Bedok is densely packed with a large amount of housing developments. Most public housing estates are located in the east of Bedok, encircling the areas around Bedok Reservoir. Private residences are also prevelant in the area, dotting the western and south-western portions of the town.

Etymology and early history

The name, "Bedok" can trace its origins back to 1604, in Manuel Gomes de Erédia's map of Singapore. The map refers to the Bedok River (present day Sungei Bedok) as Sune Bodo.

Bedok is one of the early native place names in existence around the time of Sir Stamford Raffles. In the first comprehensive map of Singapore Island completed by Frankin and Jackson and reproduced in John Crawfurd's 1828 book, the place name appears on the south east coast of the island as a river, Badok S. (Sungei Bedok), around the "small red cliff", a part of present Tanah Merah.

The Malay word bedoh refers to a very large drum, used for calling people to a mosque for prayers or to sound the alarm in the days before loudspeakers. There was a prominent mosque in the 1950s at Jalan Bilal that still used the drum about five times a day. The "h" in the word bedoh was replaced with a "k", and, as with most Malay words that end with a "k", it is pronounced with an inaudible glottal stop.

A less popular theory for its etymology often refers to the Malay term of biduk, a small fishing boat like the sampan, or more likely, a dugout canoe, as the east coast was dotted with many fishing villages.

Modern development

Bedok New Town had been developed since 1973 with the newer roads such as Bedok Plain, Bedok Highway and Bedok Heights being built all the way until 1975. The New Upper Changi Road was fully built and opened in 1979, where the massive development had been completed except Bedok Reservoir and Kaki Bukit, which was built later in 1983 - 1988.

Infrastructure

A former housing estate opposite Bedok Reservoir

Bedok New Town covers a land area close to 9.4 km² with some 42% occupied for residential use. It was formerly a hilly region and hence the focal point of orientation of the town is the special landscaped park and sports complex built on the higher ground of the town. The residential blocks as well as the industrial area are planned based on the neighbourhood concept. There is also a town centre together with Bedok Mall and Bedok Point being built. Plans for an integrated complex, which will be as big as 3 football fields, have also been revealed in 2014. This complex will house a sports centre, library, clinic, centre for the elderly and the Kampong Chai Chee Community Club. The complex will be located in Bedok town centre and will be ready in 2017.

Residential development

There are some 58,000 units of flats built by the HDB in Bedok New Town. As one of the older towns, the majority of the flats are 3-room or 4-room. There are also some 2,700 and 583 units of executive and Housing and Urban Development Corporation flats. It provides housing for some 200,000 residents.

Transportation

The Mass Rapid Transit station, Bedok MRT Station, serves the Bedok neighbourhood and is centrally located, at the south-west corner of Bedok Town Center. Adjacent to the MRT station on the north side is the Bedok Bus Interchange, a major bus terminal connecting residents with SBS Transit Townlink and Feeder services 222, 225G, 225W, 228, 229 and Trunk services. SMRT Buses also operates as a minority, Trunk service 854 towards Yishun and shuttle services towards Tampines Retail Park.

Education

Primary Schools

• Bedok Green Primary School
• Bedok West Primary School
• Damai Primary School
• East Coast Primary School
• Fengshan Primary School
• Haig Girls' School (Temporary)
• Opera Estate Primary School
• Red Swastika School
• Saint Anthony's Canossian Primary School
• Telok Kurau Primary School
• Temasek Primary School
• Yu Neng Primary School

Secondary Schools

• Anglican High School
• Bedok Green Secondary School
• Bedok North Secondary School
• Bedok South Secondary School
• Bedok Town Secondary School
• Bedok View Secondary School
• Damai Secondary School
• Ping Yi Secondary School
• Saint Anthony's Canossian Secondary School
• Victoria School
• Temasek Secondary School

Junior Colleges

• Victoria Junior College
• Temasek Junior College

Other Schools

• Global Indian International School (GIIS), East Coast Campus
• Katong School (APSN)
• NPS International School
• Sekolah Indonesia Singapura

See also

• Bedok Village
• Bedok Reservoir

References

• URA Draft Masterplan 2013 Bedok
• Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern Universities Press, ISBN 981-210-205-1
• From National Library Board Singapore, Infopedia website.
• Chin, Daryl. (2014). Bedok residents to get new sports complex, library and community club under one roof by 2017. The Straits Times. [1]

External links

• Bedok Free Online Community Forums (BedokToday.COM)