Bedok

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Bedok is a planning area and matured residential town located in the East Region of Singapore. It has a land area of about 21.69 km2, Bedok ranks the 7th, 1st & 7th in terms of size, population & density respectively. Bedok New Town is the fifth Housing and Development Board (HDB) new town; its development started in April 1973 and continued over some 15 years. The planning area, an urban planning zone under the Urban Redevelopment Authority, encompasses the Bedok New Town itself, the low-rise private residential areas along Upper East Coast Road, and in the districts of Kembangan, Siglap and Telok Kurau, and the high-rise private condominium developments in the eastern part of Marine Parade.

Bedok is located at the southeastern part of Singapore's east region and is made out of 8 subzones, namely, Bayshore, Bedok North, Bedok Reservoir, Bedok South, Frankel, Kaki Bukit, Kembangan and Siglap. It is bounded 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.

Etymology and early history[edit]

"Bedok" seems to be a very old place name. In the 1604 Manuel Gomes de Erédia's map of Singapore, there is a reference to the Bedok River called sune bodo (Sungei Bedok).

Bedok is one of the early native place names in existence around the time of Sir Stamford Raffles. In the first comprehensive map of Singapore Island completed by Frankin and Jackson and reproduced in John Crawfurd's 1828 book, the place name appears on the south-east coast of the island as a river, Badok S. (Sungei Bedok), around the "small red cliff", a part of present-day Tanah Merah.

The Malay word bedoh refers to a type of slit drum made from a large hollowed log for calling people to a mosque for prayers or to sound the alarm in the days before loudspeakers. There was a prominent mosque in the 1950s at Jalan Bilal that still used the drum about five times a day. The "h" in the word bedoh was replaced with a "k", and, as with most Malay words that end with a "k", it is pronounced with an inaudible glottal stop.

A less popular version refers to an equally uncommon Malay term of biduk, a small fishing boat like the sampan, or more likely, a dugout canoe, as the east coast was dotted with many fishing villages.

Bedok New Town[edit]

Bedok New Town covers a land area close to 9.4 km² with some 42% occupied for residential use. It was formerly a hilly region and hence the focal point of orientation of the town is the special landscaped park and sports complex built on the higher ground of the town. The residential blocks as well as the industrial area are planned based on the neighbourhood concept.

Residential development[edit]

There are some 58,000 units of flats built by the HDB in Bedok New Town. As one of the older towns, the majority of the flats are 3-room or 4-room. There are also some 2,700 and 583 units of executive and Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDC) flats. It provides housing for some 200,000 residents.

Notable Structures[edit]

Education[edit]

Primary Schools Secondary Schools Tertiary & Other Institutions
  • Bedok Green Primary School
  • CHIJ (Katong) Primary School
  • Damai Primary School
  • East Coast Primary School
  • Fengshan Primary School
  • Opera Estate Primary School
  • Ping Yi Secondary School
  • St Anthony's Canossian Primary
  • Temasek Primary 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
  • St. Patrick's School
  • Temasek Secondary School
  • Victoria School


Defunct Schools Notes
Bedok North Secondary School Merged into Damai Secondary School in 2018

Transportation[edit]

Government-related[edit]

  • Bedok Community Centre
  • Eunos Community Club
  • Fengshan Community Club
  • Heartbeat@Bedok
  • Kampong Kembangan Community Club

Shopping Centres/Malls[edit]

  • Bedok Mall
  • Djitsun Mall (Bedok)

Parks[edit]

  • Bedok Reservoir Park
  • Bedok Town Park
  • Telok Kurau Park

Bus Interchanges/Terminals[edit]

Bedok Interchange[edit]

Service Destination Notes
7 Clementi N/A
9 ↺ Changi Airfreight Centre
14 Clementi
16 Bukit Merah
16M Bukit Merah
17 Pasir Ris
17A Bedok North Avenue 4
26 Toa Payoh N/A
30 Boon Lay
30e Pasir Panjang Road Weekday AM Peak
Express Service
32 Buona Vista N/A
33 Kent Ridge
35 ↺ ALPS Ave Alternate Operating Hours
35M ↺ Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal
38 Tampines N/A
40 ↺ Merpati Road
60 Eunos Looping point
69 Tampines
87 Sengkang N/A
155 Toa Payoh
168 Woodlands
196 Clementi
197 Jurong East
222 ↺ Chai Chee Drive
225G ↺ Bedok North Street 3 Clockwise loop
225W Counter clockwise loop
228 ↺ Bedok Reservoir Road N/A
229 ↺ Bedok South Road
401 ↺ Fort Road Weekends & Public Holidays
854 Yishun N/A
854e Alighting only Weekdays AM Peak
Express Service

For bus services that do not start or end at this interchange but layover in this interchange

Service Boarding Point Destination Notes
14e Blk 403 icon84211
Bedok Nth Ave 3
Orchard Road Weekdays AM Peak
Express Service
196e Lagoon View icon93049
Marine Parade Rd
Shenton Way

Upper East Coast Terminal[edit]

Service Destination Notes
13 Yio Chu Kang N/A
25 Ang Mo Kio
43 Punggol
45 Ang Mo Kio Depot
46 Pasir Ris
55 Bishan
137 Sims Place
853M Yishun Sundays & Public Holidays

Politics[edit]

Incumbent Role
North East CDC
Desmond Choo Mayor of North East CDC
South East CDC
Mohd Fahmi Aliman Mayor of South East CDC
Aljunied GRC
Gerald Giam Member of Parliament for Bedok Reservoir-Punggol
Muhamad Faisal Manap Member of Parliament for Kaki Bukit
Pritam Singh Member of Parliament for Eunos
East Coast GRC
Cheryl Chan Member of Parliament for Fengshan
Heng Swee Keat Member of Parliament for Bedok
Maliki Osman Member of Parliament for Siglap
Tan Kiat How Member of Parliament for Kampong Chai Chee
Marine Parade GRC
Edwin Tong Member of Parliament for Joo Chiat
Vacant1 Member of Parliament for Kembangan-Chai Chee
  • 1: Tan Chuan Jin has resigned his position as Member of Parliament on 17 July 2023.

References[edit]

  • Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2003), Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names, Eastern Universities Press, ISBN 981-210-205-1

Links[edit]

Planning Areas ViewTalkEdit
Central BishanBukit MerahBukit TimahDowntown Core1GeylangKallangMarina East1Marina South1Marine ParadeMuseum1Newton1NovenaOrchard1Outram1QueenstownRiver Valley1Rochor1Singapore River1Southern IslandsStraits View1TanglinToa Payoh
East BedokChangiChangi BayPasir RisPaya LebarTampines
North Central Water CatchmentLim Chu KangMandaiSembawangSimpangSungei KadutWoodlandsYishun
North-East Ang Mo KioHougangNorth-Eastern IslandsPunggolSeletarSengkangSerangoon
West Boon LayBukit BatokBukit PanjangChoa Chu KangClementiJurong EastJurong WestPioneerTengahTuasWestern IslandsWestern Water Catchment
1: Located within the Central Area