Sunday, October 14, 2007

Roundabout Quiz 1

Younger Singaporeans may not know that not so long ago, we had many roundabouts in Singapore. Over the past 20 years or so, most of them have been replaced by signalized traffic light junctions, flyovers and underpasses.

Of the remaining roundabouts, the most famous one I guess would be Newton Circus (Photo 1 below) and the recently converted Guillemard Circus. Along Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim are a couple more; one at Pioneer Road/Sector and another at Tuas. Plus a couple of smaller ones in Serangoon Gardens (Photo 2 below), and Hillview (Photo 3 below).


In my recent article about Upper Bukit Timah Road from Beauty World to Bukit Panjang, I forgot to mention that until recently, there was a roundabout where Anak Bukit joined Upp Bt Timah Rd. So I thought I might as well leave that till later and turn it into a quiz with some additional questions. So here it is.

What was the name of the roundabout at the junction of these roads?
I will start with some easy questions.


1) Queensway and Commonwealth Avenue (this was reputedly the largest roundabout in Singapore)

2) Queensway, Farrer Road and Holland Road. There used to be a beautiful fountain here. Now replaced with flyover and underpass. I will blog about it later.

3) Alexandra Road, Queensway and Jalan Bukit Merah

4) Lorong 1, 2 and 6 Toa Payoh

5) Bukit Timah, Clementi and Anak Bukit (Answer found in an earlier post)

Now for some harder ones:

6) Macpherson Road and Serangoon Road

7) Anak Bukit and Upper Bukit Timah Rd

But leave the toughest to the last.

8) Lornie Road and Thomson Road, just in front of the entrance to MacRitchie Reservoir.


PS – My older readers may want to contribute some questions so that I can compile them for future quizzes. Please email them to me at: cslam(at)hoshin(dot)com(dot)sg. (Someone told me you shouldn’t type your actual email address as those pesky, ‘wuliao’ spammers have software to harvest your email address and then …… you know the rest)

15 comments:

Gerek! said...

I only know 'Circuit Road' cos I lived there once.

haha

Anonymous said...

What about:
1. Present crossroad at Delta Road and Alexandra Road (near Delta House)?

2.In front of Tanglin Road and Napier Road (in front of Tanglin Mall)?

3. Present junction of Leng Kee Road, Tanglin Road and Alexandra Road (near Thye Hong Center)?

4. Jalan Toa Payoh, Jalan Kolam Ayer and Serangoon Road near the fire station?

5. In front of present Ten Mile Junction and Chua Chu Kang Road?

6. In front of Forfar House where Leng Kee Road meets Alexandra Road and Commonwealth Avenue?

7. In front of the Istana where Clemenceau Avenue meets Orchard Road?

Anonymous said...

There is one that I use sometimes at Marine Parade/Amber Road.

Victor said...

I know the answer to one of your questions - Ewart Circus - but will leave your readers to guess which question it is.

I think there is a very big one where West Coast Highway joins West Coast Road. But the centre "island" is triangular and not circular in shape. There are also traffic lights to control vehicles approaching this nameless "circus".

Lam Chun See said...

Circuit Rd - that's good. I also know one called Cicular Road in town.

I think I better rename this Category to How well do you know the old Singapore; because we are more interested in those places that are no longer around.

Lam Chun See said...

Very good Victor. Ewart Circus correct answer for Question 7. Better move along, otherwise, we may get stuck in this 'roundabout' quiz for weeks.

WK Tan said...

1.An ex-roundabout is the old Sembawang Circus (junction of Upper Thomson and Yio Chu Kang roads) where the Singapore Grand Prix was held during the late 1960's and early 1970's. There is a stamp of this issued in 1970 Aug uner the theme "Festival of Sports".

2. An existing roundabout with an exotic name is "Picadilly Circus" in Seletar Camp at the end of Jalan Kayu. The camp was the former Seletar Air Base and the roads and places here have British names.

Anonymous said...

Another roundabout separated raffic from Thomson Road. Norfolk Road, Keng Lee Road, Kg Java Road and New Cemetery Road.

Roundabout in front of the main gate to the Sembawang Naval Base

Anonymous said...

There is no circus at Circuit Road. Circuit Road joins Pipit Road at both ends and they go round Macpherson Estate.

Lam Chun See said...

Fr. I think he was only joking becos Circuit Road goes in one big circle.

Hey! How come nobody attempting to answer my quiz questions? Hope I don't have to end up answering my own questions.

Victor said...

>Hey! How come nobody attempting to answer my quiz questions?

Maybe it's because there's no incentive for guessing? Perhaps, if you could give out circus tickets as prizes...

Anonymous said...

I think they don't know the answers. Even Victor only knows one.

Lam Chun See said...

I understand that the roads in Changi area were named after RAF air bases in England. I guess the Picadilly Circus must have got that name for a similar reason.

Peter - that roundabout you mentioned was what I refered to as Ang Kio Tau in one of my articles about Bukit Timah.

Anonymous said...

There was a circus at the junction of Lorong Chuan and Braddell Road. Can't remember the name. Anyone?

Lam Chun See said...

Yes I remember about the roundabout at Lor Chuan/Braddell junction. But I cannot recall the name. Only sure way to find out is to go down to NLB and check out the old street directories.