Bedok, Singapore

All About Bedok – Overview of Bedok

Bedok is a planning area and mature residential town located in the Tanah Merah region on the southeastern coast of Singapore’s East Region. Bedok is bordered by five other planning areas: Paya Lebar to the north, Hougang to the northwest, Tampines to the northeast and east, Geylang to the west, and Marine Parade to the southwest. It shares a maritime boundary with the Singapore Strait to the south and southeast.

Bedok has a rich history, with evidence of human settlement dating back to the 14th century. It was originally a fishing village and agricultural center, but over the years it has transformed into a bustling residential and commercial hub. Today’s Bedok is known for its vibrant and diverse community, with a mix of public and private housing, numerous shopping centers, parks, and a thriving food scene.

In addition to commercial developments, Bedok is also home to several green spaces and parks, including Bedok Reservoir Park and East Coast Park, providing residents with ample opportunities for recreation and relaxation. It is well-connected with various modes of transportation such as the MRT, buses, and major expressways, making it convenient for both residents and visitors.

In terms of population, Bedok is the largest planning area in the country, with approximately 280,000 residents. The main reason for its large population, despite Bedok New Town’s relative distance from the Central Area, is the availability of affordable public housing. Besides public housing developments, private residences are also prevalent, most of which are located in the western and southwestern parts of Bedok, around Bayshore, Frankel Avenue, and Siglap.

Origin of the Name Bedok

The name “Bedok” likely originates from the Malay word for “drum,” referring to the sound of drums heard here during traditional festivals and ceremonies. The name was already in use as early as 1604 on Manuel Godinho de Erédia’s map of Singapore. The map refers to the Bedok River (present-day Sungei Bedok) as Sune Bodo.

History of Bedok

As part of the Tanah Merah region, Bedok’s history is largely influenced by its coastal boundaries. The area now known as Bedok appeared on maps from before the time of Raffles. After Singapore became a British colony in 1819, Simpang Bedok Village became a mixed community of Chinese and Malays. Before the 1860s, the main source of income in Bedok was from coconuts harvested from plantations in the Siglap subzone, while another major source of income for the villagers of Simpang Bedok was fishing.

The modern development of Bedok began in 1966 with the start of land reclamation works along the coast. Over the next decade, Bedok was transformed by the Housing & Development Board (HDB) into Singapore’s fifth self-sufficient new town, and by 1975, the first HDB flats appeared. In the same year, after the fall of Saigon, Bedok Jetty became the coordination center for Vietnamese refugees landing in Singapore during Operation Thunderstorm.

The development of Bedok Town began in 1973, with newer roads like Bedok Plain, Bedok Highway, and Bedok Heights being constructed until 1975. In 1979, New Upper Changi Road was fully completed and opened. With the exception of Bedok Reservoir and Kaki Bukit, which were built between 1983 and 1988, the large-scale development of Bedok was complete.

Geography of Bedok

Location

The Bedok Planning Area is located in the East Region of Singapore, along the southeastern coast. It is bordered by Paya Lebar to the north, Hougang to the northwest, Tampines to the northeast and east, Geylang to the west, and Marine Parade to the southwest.

Bedok New Town is located within the Bedok Planning Area.

Subzones

Bedok has 8 subzones:

Infrastructure in Bedok

Bedok New Town covers an area of nearly 9.4 square kilometers (3.6 square miles), with about 42% designated for residential use. It was formerly a hilly area, so the town’s planning focused on creating special landscaped parks and sports facilities on higher ground. Both residential and industrial areas were planned based on the neighborhood concept, with the town center located between the current sites of Bedok Mall and the former Bedok Point. In 2014, plans were announced for a public facilities complex as large as three football fields. This complex, named Heartbeat @ Bedok, features a sports center, library, clinic, senior activity center, and the Kampong Chai Chee Community Club. It is located in Bedok Town Centre and was completed in 2017.

Residential Areas

The Housing & Development Board (HDB) has built approximately 58,000 HDB flats in Bedok New Town. As one of the older towns, most HDB units are three-room or four-room flats. There are also about 2,700 executive flats and 583 HUDC flats. It can provide housing for about 200,000 residents.

Transportation

Currently, there are six MRT stations in the Bedok Planning Area, spanning two lines: the East West Line (EWL) and the Downtown Line. The two lines run parallel to each other and do not have an interchange station in Bedok. However, Tanah Merah MRT station (code EW4/CG) on the EWL is an interchange with the Changi Airport Branch Line.

The six MRT stations in Bedok are:

• Tanah Merah
• Bedok
• Kembangan
• Kaki Bukit
• Bedok North
• Bedok Reservoir

Stages 4 and 5 of the Thomson-East Coast Line, currently under construction, will become operational in 2023 and 2024, respectively. This line will run along the southern part of the planning area, with an interchange with the Downtown Line at Sungei Bedok station, which will also be the terminus for both lines. The five future MRT stations are:

• Marine Terrace
• Siglap
• Bayshore
• Bedok South
• Sungei Bedok

The Bedok Bus Interchange opened in 1979 as part of the Bedok Town Centre, located along Bedok North Drive between Blocks 203 and 207, adjacent to community facilities such as a hawker centre, library, and sports complex, under Block 207A. It had thirty-three end-on berths for ten bus services. There were also six sawtooth berths, each accommodating three bus services from the original facility. After the closure of the Chai Chee Bus Terminal in 1985, some bus services were transferred to the Bedok Bus Interchange. Bedok MRT station opened in 1989 to the south of the original facility, complementing the bus interchange to serve travelers to Bedok Town and the nearby East Coast Park.

On November 19, 2011, after 32 years of operation, the bus interchange was moved to a temporary facility west of the original site, at the junction of Bedok North Drive and Bedok North Avenue 1, to allow the original site to be redeveloped as part of Bedok Mall.

The new Bedok Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) began operations on November 30, 2014. With the completion of the ITH, Bedok residents can enjoy a comfortable air-conditioned environment when transferring between the MRT and buses at Bedok MRT station. This is Singapore’s 7th air-conditioned bus interchange.

Parks

Bedok has the Bedok Town Park, located beside the Pan Island Expressway between Bedok North Road and Bedok Avenue 3, and the 41.7-hectare (103-acre) Bedok Reservoir Park next to Bedok Reservoir.

Politics in Bedok

After the 2020 election, the Bedok area is divided into three constituencies and nine divisions: Aljunied GRC, East Coast GRC, and Marine Parade GRC.

Aljunied GRC includes the northern part of Bedok and the Kaki Bukit and Bedok Reservoir subzones. The Members of Parliament (MPs) are Workers’ Party (WP) Secretary-General Pritam Singh, former Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) Gerald Giam, and Muhamad Faisal Manap. In the 2011 general election, then-Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang won Aljunied GRC, and the Workers’ Party has held its ground here ever since. Before 2011, Aljunied GRC was under the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), with MPs including former Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo and Zainul Abidin, while Kaki Bukit was under Marine Parade GRC, with current Nee Soon GRC MP Faisal representing the area at the time.

East Coast GRC includes the central area of Bedok, eastern Siglap, and Bayshore. The MPs are Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat (former lead minister for Tampines GRC), Jessica Tan Soon Neo, Cheryl Chan, Minister Maliki Osman, and Minister of State Tan Kiat How. Since the 2011 general election, East Coast GRC has been a hotly contested battleground between the Workers’ Party and the PAP, but the PAP has won the GRC by a narrow margin. Its former MPs include cabinet ministers such as Lee Yock Suan, S. Jayakumar, Raymond Lim, and Lim Swee Say, as well as former Speakers Tan Soo Khoon and Abdullah Tarmugi. In the 2015 general election, Cheryl Chan’s Fengshan constituency was carved out as a single-member constituency but was reverted to the GRC after just one term.

Marine Parade GRC includes Frankel, Kembangan, and western Siglap. The MPs are current Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and Minister Edwin Tong. Tong’s Joo Chiat constituency was a single-member constituency for three elections from 2001 until it was absorbed into the GRC in 2015.

Education in Bedok

Here is a list of schools in Bedok as of 2022:

Primary Schools

• Bedok Green Primary School
• Damai Primary School
• Fengshan Primary School
• Opera Estate Primary School
• Red Swastika School
• St. Anthony’s Canossian Primary School
• St. Stephen’s School
• Tanjong Katong Primary School
• Telok Kurau Primary School
• Temasek Primary School
• Yu Neng Primary School

Secondary Schools

• Anglican High School
• Bedok Green Secondary School
• Bedok South Secondary School
• Bedok View Secondary School
• Damai Secondary School
• Ping Yi Secondary School
• St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School
• Temasek Secondary School

Junior Colleges

• Temasek Junior College

Other Schools

• Katong School (APSN)
• NPS International School

Hawker Centres in Bedok

As of 2020, Bedok has 10 major hawker centres primarily serving local Singaporean cuisine. They are:

• Fengshan Market & Food Centre
• Bedok Interchange Hawker Centre
• Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre & Market
• Kaki Bukit 511 Market & Food Centre
• Bedok 538 Market & Food Centre
• Blk 16 Bedok South Market & Food Centre
• The Marketplace @ 58
• Bedok Food Centre
• Bedok Market Place
• Blk 630 Bedok Reservoir Market & Food Centre

Additional Information on Bedok

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