Stomper ‘angry and disgusted’ to see man in SAF uniform smoking near Ang Mo Kio bus stop
A Stomper was unhappy to see a man in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) uniform smoking near a bus stop in Ang Mo Kio.
Stomper Karen said she spotted the man near the bus stop at Block 307A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 on Aug 26 at about 9.15am.
She shared photos showing the man standing next to a rubbish bin beside the bus stop.
Karen said she saw him holding a lit cigarette and smoking in the bus stop area before walking towards the bin.
She was particularly bothered that the man was in SAF uniform at the time.
“I felt angry and disgusted,” she told Stomp.
She added: “As an NSman wearing the uniform, he shouldn’t have done that because it reflects badly on the military.”
Smoking prohibited within 5m of bus stops
Under National Environment Agency (NEA) regulations, smoking is prohibited within five metres of bus stops.
In a May 2024 response to a Lianhe Zaobao reader, NEA said bins with ashtrays are placed accordingly. The agency would shift them if it received feedback or found them to be less than five metres from a bus stop.
The agency also urged smokers to be socially responsible and not light up in smoking-prohibited places.
Karen acknowledged that the bin seen in her photos appeared to be outside the five-metre radius.
However, she claimed the man had already started smoking before approaching the bin.
The placement of bins near bus stops has also prompted discussion over whether the current five-metre buffer is sufficient.
In a March 9 forum letter published by The Straits Times, a reader argued that bins near bus stops tend to attract smokers, with cigarette smoke potentially drifting towards waiting commuters.
The reader suggested relocating bins at least 30m from bus stops to create a larger smoke-free buffer, as well as introducing ground markings to indicate where smoking is permitted.
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