\n<\/p>\n
Geography has shaped how some MPs plan their routes. Sengkang GRC is flanked by Sungei Serangoon and Sungei Punggol, and Assoc Prof Lim said the riverside pathways were a natural draw.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that we have these running pathways by the two rivers means that you have an unimpeded run, which always makes it a little bit easier to keep a group together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Monthly runs along the park connector are split into 2.4km and 5km routes. For the past year and a half, the team has alternated between both riverbanks to allow more people to join, said Mr Chua.<\/p>\n
For Mr Hoe, the demographics of his ward \u2013 many residents are parents with young children \u2013 meant it made more sense to schedule their runs at 10pm on Saturdays.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if you think about it, most of our young parents, when our kids are awake, we really can’t be away from our families,\u201d he said, adding that the later start time lets parents put their children to bed first.<\/p>\n
Beyond fitness, the runs provide an additional avenue of engagement away from formal events and Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) \u2013 and one that can yield more candid ground feedback.<\/p>\n
Mr Chua said the sessions allow interaction with residents outside the usual festive activities and town halls, where engagements tend to be more deliberate. But the team does not measure the utility of the runs by the volume of feedback received, he added.<\/p>\n
Mr Hoe said that Clementi residents would typically email him directly with concerns rather than attend an MPS. The runs surface a different kind of feedback.<\/p>\n
He cited the removal of a row of bicycle racks beside a coffee shop \u2013 the meeting point for his runs \u2013 after participants flagged that the racks posed a hazard to young children using the nearby playground.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are not things that they will write to me about, but it’s really just through organic conversations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Dr Hamid recalled chatting with a Primary 6 participant about his PSLE journey during a session last year. The boy later turned up as a volunteer at a community event, helping to photograph parents and students at an Edusave Awards ceremony.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that was something that I didn’t expect, was an unintended consequence, but a positive one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Assoc Prof Lim said gathering feedback through every available touchpoint matters, given the nature of the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cA big part of what we do also is to find out how things are going for the individual resident that we may chat with as we run along, but at the same time also about other broader national concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n