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to ZIP! |
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The
Zero-In-Process (ZIP) caters to complicated non-business
issues
that involve multiple agencies. Find out how three
problems were effectively solved.
Seeking the best solution for residents
Coordinating a residential development project may not be an easy task. That
is because there are many agencies involved such as the Public Utilities Board
(PUB), National Parks Board (NParks) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The agencies know exactly what is the best solution for drains, trees and roads
respectively. They are very good at what they do.
But when ZIP brought all these agencies together, they realised that what was “best” for
trees, may not necessarily be “best” for roads and drains. In fact,
what is “best” for each agency may not benefit the residents.
So the agencies came up with different combinations of trees, drains and roads,
and asked the citizens to choose the option that best met their needs.
“It’s a lot easier to make decisions and thrash out problems because
you
can hear all the departments and what their constraints are at the same time,
in one sitting,” said Mr Jeffrey Chua, Chairman of Novena estate’s
working committee.
Solving the parking problem
Have you ever wondered why the most popular eating places tend to be the ones
along the road with very little parking space? Well, it could be because these
famous eating places were built long ago. And over the years, the areas around
them were developed, leaving no space for more carparks.
Instead of simply fining every errant driver, the Public Service sought alternative
ways to solve such parking problems.
In one instance, the Ministry of National Development placed small cement blocks
over roadside grass verges so that motorcycles could be parked there instead
of always fining the motorcyclists and replanting the grass.
Creating land out of thin air
This ZIP problem started out as a complaint: Some people felt that the land beneath
overhead Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) tracks could be better maintained. Most of
the time, it was just a sandy area with a few scraggly bushes. But who could
the public call? Was it the Singapore Land Authority (the area was state land),
NParks (since it was about trees), or LTA (since it was about the MRT)?
So a ZIP team comprising the Ministry of Law (MinLaw), SLA, LTA and NParks was
formed to tackle the problem of maintaining such land. But someone hit upon the
brilliant idea of looking at it as an opportunity rather than a problem. The
rationale was that if we could make the land more useful, then the people to
whom the land is useful would want to maintain it well. Now, land under MRT tracks
are used as playgrounds, air-conditioned food courts and retail outlets!
Later, MinLaw also led another team to look into the possibility of constructing
over canals.
These ideas simply required a change in mindset — afterall, how many people
have actually thought that the land under MRT viaducts and the “air space” above
canals could be used? |
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