Passers-by, migrant workers and bus staff unite to clear fallen tree branch along MacPherson Road in under 15 minutes
About 20 to 30 passers-by were seen heaving a tree branch off a road in MacPherson after it collapsed and blocked traffic.
Speaking to Stomp, Cheryl, who witnessed the incident, said she was walking towards a bus stop along MacPherson Road at around 6pm on Sept 18 when she noticed the fallen tree.
Footage of the incident shared on her account, @crayoncheryl, shows several branches of a tree lying across a three-lane road, while four buses wait behind it, unable to pass.
“My first reaction was thank goodness nobody or vehicle was hurt. It’s quite a miracle it affected all lanes and no one was hurt,” she told Stomp.
She recalled that bus drivers were telling motorists behind them that the road was blocked off. Some cars left the queue, opting for different routes.
“I thought we were gonna get a massive jam. It didn’t occur to me we can actually move it first without authorities,” she said.
Crowd clears rightmost lane after heaving branch towards pavement
In the video, people can be seen approaching the obstruction and clearing smaller branches from the road first.
Another clip shows over 10 people lined up along the main branch, pulling it toward the pavement in unison.
Among those who helped is a man in SBS Transit uniform, while another appears to be in a school uniform. Several individuals, believed to be migrant workers, also joined the effort, freeing the rightmost lane for motorists.
Cheryl said the process took less than 15 minutes, with about 20 to 30 people lending a hand.
“Everyone clapped and some of the vehicles honked in celebration too,” she added, recalling the moment when the lane was cleared.
“I think it’s so refreshing to see kindness and members of the community helping each other first hand. I was quite touched,” she reflected.
According to a 2024 report by The Straits Times, people affected by a fallen tree on public property can use the OneService mobile app to report the incident, or call the NParks helpline on 1800-471-7300 for urgent cases.
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