Just weeks after opening Changi Jurassic Mile, the attraction is back in the news with more negative publicity.
A netizen highlighted in a Facebook post on Thursday (22 October) that his family helper was hit in the head by a flying golf ball from Tanah Merah Country Club while visiting the jogging and cycling path.
Derek Yap said in his post that he took his family and helper to visit the attraction and everything was going well until they walked pass the two Parasaurolophus exhibit (Zone J).
“A loud thud was heard before I turn around and see my helper dropping on her knees onto the floor. She held her head and started crying. That was when we realised she was hit but a golf ball from Tanah Merah Country Club,” he said.
Mr Yap added that the golf course is located right next to the exhibit that they visited, along the entire Changi Jurassic Mile.
For those who are unaware, the 3.5-km attraction, which opened its door to the public on 11 October this year, displays over 20 dinosaur models for public viewing, and connects Changi Airport and East Coast Park.
Following the incident, Mr Yap revealed that a Certis Cisco security staff immediately informed her supervisor, and an airport ambulance was activated to take the woman to the hospital.
Thankfully, Mr Yap’s helper only suffered bruises and was asked to be monitored at home.
“The doctor did all the necessary checks and confirmed it is a head injury with bruising but advised that we monitor at home since we might need to stay for hours in the hospital if admitted. Thankfully my helper is fine so far,” he explained.
Mr Yap added that a Changi Airport Group’s Arrival Experience manager was also present and told him that they had “brought up” the possibility of the golf balls hitting visitors when building the pathway. However, the “upper management” from the Tanah Merah Country Club Garden assured them that the golf balls will not hit anyone at the attraction due to “wind direction”.
As such, they decided not to build nettings around the attraction to protect the public.
“We were also told that this is the first case that has happened. They have already put this up but will be up for discussion if they need to put anything in place.
“I am sharing this so that people are aware, I can’t imagine how it will turn out if the golf ball were to hit my kids or any other children or elderly who will be there every single day,” Mr Yap said.
As a precaution measure, Mr Yap suggested that cyclists should wear their helmets and those walking at the pathway to open up their umbrellas to prevent such incident to repeat itself.
“At the mean time, I would suggest those cycling to keep their helmets on. And those walking with kids to have umbrellas opened. That is until some sort of protection is put in placed.”
Past complaints
Earlier this week, a netizen named Eric Ng slammed the design of the bicycle path at Changi Jurassic Mile.
In a Facebook post, Mr Ng said that those who designed the pathway should get themselves educated, and that the whole attraction is a “waste of taxpayers’ money”.
He highlighted the fence placed to cordoned off the dinosaur models was also too low as it allows people to climb over the fence and vandalise the statues.
Other netizens who commented and shared Mr Ng’s post pointed out that the roughly 2m-wide bicycle path is too narrow for both pedestrians and cyclists to use it at the same time. They added that the Government should have focused on designing a proper “cycling Park Connector Network (PCN)”, and only add an attraction if the space and resources permit it.
Besides the cycling path being too narrow for both cyclists and pedestrians to use simultaneously, the poor design of the fence also allowed the dinosaur models to be vadalised.
A recent report by The Straits Times highlighted how the figures were damaged by the public. It said that a video of a woman rocking back and forth on a baby dinosaur exhibit started making the rounds earlier this week. If that’s not all, the hatchling emerging from its egg was also seen missing its five teeth.
