Yay or nay? Stomper suggests converting space under expressway bridges into pickleball courts
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The recent spate of complaints against pickleball suggests a low tolerance for the sport and the noise it brings.
But could Stomper Jackson have come up with a win-win solution?
He shared: "The space under expressway bridges can be considered for good use by being converted into pickleball courts.
"It will help to increase the space for pickleball players and, at the same time, the sound will not disturb anybody. Everybody will be happy.
"This may help since pickleball is getting more and more popular, and we need more space for it."
Indeed, Singapore already has good examples of such 'dead' spaces being put to creative use.
For instance, the area under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge doubles up as an airy venue for cycling, exercising and dog-walking.
Meanwhile, the land beneath the Kranji Expressway viaduct has been transformed into a recreational green space with various facilities.
The idea of repurposing static spaces is not new.
A 2016 report by Centre for Liveable Cities explored the concept of 'turning dead spaces into dynamic places' due to land scarcity in Singapore.
The report observed: "In many cases where alternative land uses are considered, the main concern of city governments is safety. Land under flyovers and viaducts are sensitive nodes that are vulnerable to fire incidents or land encroachment.
"Hence, some cities have imposed a blanket rule on disallowing the use of land under viaducts, which led to many static spaces.
"With minimum infrastructural investment, city governments can better use these spaces. Not only do city governments benefit from economies of scale, part of these costs could be recovered through collecting rent."
Perhaps it's not just our physical environments that need to make room for pickleball - but our hearts as well.
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