Bukit Panjang

Bukit Panjang
Name transcription(s)
• Chinese	武吉班让
• Pinyin	Wǔjíbānràng
• Malay	Bukit Panjang
• Tamil	பக்கிட் பஞ்சாங்
Country	Singapore

A scene in Bukit Panjang. The brown bridge in the photo is a LRT viaduct, on which LRT trains travel.

Bukit Panjang is a suburban area situated in the Central North-Western part of Singapore. The Bukit Panjang Planning Area, located in the West Region, encompasses the Housing Development Board's housing estate of Bukit Panjang New Town and the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

History

Bukit Panjang was originally named Zhenghua, and advanced earthworks begun on 15 June 1981. HDB flats rose up the spring on 20 May 1985, and so far only Blocks 1xx and 2xx were built. Neighbourhood 4 was up and running by 1989, and followed by Neighbourhood 5 and 6 which was the recent ones since 1995.

Etymology

Bukit in the Malay Language means "hill" and Panjang means "long". Bukit Panjang literally means "long hill" which gets its name from the long range of high hills which ends in Bukit Timah to the south.

At the height of the movement to change place names in Singapore to Mandarin ones using hanyu pinyin romanization, the new town to be built in the area was initially known as Zhenghua (正华), along with Yishun (义顺) for Nee Soon, and Zhujiao market for tek kha (竹脚) market in Kandang Kerbau. The trading of old dialect names which have gained common currency for unfamiliar, Mandarin ones was not well received by the public, and Bukit Panjang was quickly reinstated. However, the name Zhenghua is preserved in the name of the flyover between Bukit Panjang Road and the Bukit Timah Expressway as well as the Zhenghua Park.

Administration

Bukit Panjang Plaza, near the Bukit Panjang LRT Station.

The Bukit Panjang area comes under the administrative lead of the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council, which oversees the management and maintenance of the many apartments (HDB Flats) and commercial units in Bukit Panjang.

Political history

Bukit Panjang is politically divided into three constituencies. The central area of Bukit Panjang is in Bukit Panjang Single Member Constituency whose Member of Parliament is Teo Ho Pin who is the mayor for Northwest Community Development Council. The other two constituencies are enclosed in the Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency. This includes Senja, a part of Jelapang, Segar, Gangsa and a portion of Petir. Senja, Segar and Jelapang are located in Zhenghua constituency of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC whose Member of Parliament is Liang Eng Hwa with Gangsa and the remaining portion of Petir belonging to Cashew division of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC with its Member of Parliament being the Community Development, Youth and Sports minister Dr.Vivian Balakrishnan.

Education

Primary Schools

• Beacon Primary School
• Bukit Panjang Primary School
• Greenridge Primary School
• West Spring Primary School
• West View Primary School
• Zhenghua Primary School

Secondary Schools

• Assumption English School
• Chestnut Drive Secondary School
• Fajar Secondary School
• Greenridge Secondary School
• West Spring Secondary School
• Zhenghua Secondary School

Community centres

• Zhenghua Community Centre
• Bukit Panjang Community Centre
• Senja-Cashew Community Centre

Accessibility

Feeder and intra-town buses operate by SMRT Buses serves Bukit Panjang as well as two services by SBS Transit. There is also a light rail transit system (LRT) which runs and connect Bukit Panjang with Choa Chu Kang, the Bukit Panjang LRT and the future Bukit Panjang MRT station which will be located next to Junction 10.

See also

• Bukit Panjang New Town

References

• Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern Universities Press, ISBN 981-210-205-1
• http://www.bukitpanjang.com

External links

• Zhenghua Park (owned by the National Parks Board of Singapore)
• SMRT Trains (Bukit Panjang LRT)
• Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council