Picture Perfect: Singapore Signs and Fines
Before I visited Singapore, a friend on mine told me that he thought the country to be too sanitized. I asked him what he meant, and he said that, for him, there were too many rules to follow and too many things to be careful about. Incidentally, this friend is Swiss!
As soon as I arrived in the country, I understood what he was talking about, but, unlike my friend, I actually really liked this aspect of Singapore. The truth is that too often had I witnessed, in my own country but also abroad, places and things being affected badly by the ignorance of people, because, let’s face it, lots and lots of people can be very selfish, and care nothing about others as long as they are having a good time or getting what they want.
Singapore has a solution for this: Singapore resorts to signs and fines, sometimes ridiculously expensive fines, but hey, they do the trick. Below is a collection photos of signs taken around Singapore, many of them common sense, but which obviously wouldn’t be there unless there were people not bothering to follow them.
Have you ever witnessed locals or travellers being selfish? What the most memorable sign you’ve seen on your travels?
-Text and Photography by Denise Pulis @www.theartofslowtravel.com
10 Comments → “Picture Perfect: Singapore Signs and Fines”
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Generally I find N.Z.road signs amusing and Australian and enjoy trying to work out what Italian ones mean. I must remember not to ride a bike where I am not supposed to in Singapore.
Great post! I remember thinking the same thing about Singapore at least two decades ago when we visited. . .it’s not changed.
I feel the exact way you do about the Germans and Swiss being on time! I love it and find it very comforting. I need to pay more attention to signs when I travel
I like a bit of order but too much can feel restrictive. Thing is, everyone’s got a different idea of order so it’s up to the state to decide. The signs remind us to do the right thing and when we don’t, there’s that hefty fine to pay.
I love taking pictures of warning signs, and Singapore has definitely provided plenty of opportunities. I currently live in Penang which has a shared history with Singapore (both were British Straits colonies) until Singapore became independent of Malaysia in the late 50s. You can definitely see the difference that all those strict rules have made when you compare Singapore versus the very relaxed Penang.
Loved the signs – especially the heart-shaped queue and the “No Durians”. I’ve never actually experienced a durian but I understand that they are rather smelly – must be really bad for them to be banned!
I enjoy looking at signs when I travel. Some can be scary but most of the time I find them entertaining. I’ve found a lot of funny ones in China. One of the memorable ones was the sign by the water dispenser in the hotel dining room that said “Cold Boiling Water.”
whoa, 1000 for biking? 500 for smoking? Yikes I don’t do either, but still.
Personally, I hate people littering. It really bothers me when I see people throwing things on the ground, For god’s sake, hold on to it until you find a trash can!!
I can;t think of any peculiar signs, though I always found it funny that in in Switzerland there is a sign on many buses that indicates talking on your cell phone is verboten. Again, I don’t make a habit of it, but if the phone rings I like to be able to pick up and see if it’s something urgent or if I can call the person back later.
I’m from Singapore and been living abroad for a few years now, seeing these signs made me smile a bit, i guess i was immuned to having them around all my years of growing up but when i do return for a yearly visit i notice them more and become annoyed by them more! Had some British and Aussie mates said the same – about SIN being almost sterile – and i think it might have become worse recently, but not in an entirely negative way, like you said, it works. I hope you had a nice visit to SIN
Hi Cal,
Thanks for stopping by. I loooovvveeed Singapore, and no, the signs didn`t bother me at all as to me they were common sense any way,but there must be people out there for whom, for example, not ruining public property is not common sense at all, which means that these signs need to be in place, as with the fines for not following the rules.