Commute times

[Califmom]

This board is such a great support. Thanks in advance for all the advice.
What are commute times like in S'pore. If we lived on the East Coast, would it take the kids an hour to school by school bus ? Why do all the advice tips on this website say the kids will have to wake up at 6 to go to school if they don't live close to it ? My husband and I would rather he have the long commute not the kids, but what distance is reasonable ?
Thanks
K

[evehow]

Well, it would depend on where you stay and where the school is, the latter which is not mentioned.

[califmom]

Sorry, you are right, I left out the pertinant info. I was thinking a non-east coast school. Many schools I looked at seemed to be near Patterson Road. I was thinking in broad terms, thinking what would be a good outer limit to stop looking beyond for houses, don't go beyond 5 miles of a school etc.
Thanks
K

[travel]

I live near Siglap on the East Coast.  That is the furthest away from the city I would live.

I travel to town from time to time say Botanical Gardens, Tanglin Mall, Takashimaya...all along the Orchard Rd belt.

I think it takes less than 30 mins from door to door (that said, I'm the driver and also it's non-peak hour traffic).  I know where Paterson Road is...and if your kids go to school in the morning before 11am, Orchard Road is not crowded.

Having a family and living on the East Coast is excellent.  Find a home which is accessible to the beach (walk 15mins to the beach).  

It's easy for your husband to go to work (assuming he works in the CBD area)...he travels on the expressway (ECP) and gets into town in 15 mins.  Preferably before 8.30am as the highway gets more crowded after that.  After 10am is quite smooth drive.

Best wld be to stay in a serviced apartment while you look around for your new home.

Mandarin Gardens, near Siglap has serviced apartments, but they require 2 mths deposit (if I didn't remember wrongly)...enquired abt it in Mar 02.  But that wld give u a good idea what living in the east coast is like.

Some apartments on or near Siglap are Mandarin Gardens, Villa Marina, Fernwood Towers, Ocean Park, and many smaller complexes.

Good luck.

[califmom]

Thanks for the replies, I know it seems obvious but a serviced flat to start with never occured to me, duh !
K

[cindy1234]

If you are considering American School, it may be quite far by school bus. I don't live in the East Coast but I would guess the school bus commute would be an hour or more. It's a renter's market now so some areas which were expensive before may now be more affordable.
Good luck

[expat1]

Dover and UWC are near the West coast;
Chatsworth and OFS are downtown;
SAS is in Woodlands; and AIS is now along the CTE just outside of town.

Assuming your husband is working downtown, then if you choose all but SAS, to minimize your kids and his commute times, either live downtown or near Holland Village.

If you send your kids to SAS, you may want to live in Woodlands and make your husband do the commute.  Not sure how long the bus ride is from the East coast, as it depends on how many stops before the bus gets on the Expressway for the ride out, but I would hazard a guess at near one hour.

[living]

Districts 9 and 10 are the handiest areas to live in.  If you're going to be visiting the schools alot and you live on the East Coast, then it could be time consuming for you.  The traffic is particularly bad out that way from about 5.30 to 7pm.  

[living again]

I would get a serviced apartment more central whilst you're looking around.  Great World City would be a great place to start, or if you get a good allowance, Orchard Park Suites is right on Orchard Boulevard.