Both Lifts in 21-Storey Condo Block Out of Order Since 14 Jan; Residents Have to Take the Stairs

Residents of a 21-story condo block at the East Coast district, Neptune Court, are unfortunately facing a daunting situation: both of their lifts are out of order.

Yes, you read that right. That means having to climb 21 flights of stairs daily for some residents– certainly a nightmare come true for us couch potatoes.

Reader: speak for yourself.

A resident at Neptune Court told reporters at Shin Min Daily News that in November last year, one of the elevators stopped operating as the condo management had plans to replace it with newer model. The only other lift continued to serve the residents.

Well, perhaps it got tired of its heavier workload (especially amidst the holiday season, when everyone starts gaining some weight), because on 14 January 2025, it broke down due to technical faults.

In response to the residents’ feedback, the condo management team informed them that the lift can only be repaired by 21 January 2025, as the process involved repeated testing and amending. However, by 26 January 2025, there was still no change to the situation.

Residents have expressed their concern that this will persist for a long time. Being situated near the coast, the extent of damage and erosion caused by the sea breeze, accompanied by the fact that spare parts for the old model may be difficult to source, could delay the repairing process.

Particularly with Chinese New Year approaching, residents are uncertain how they can host guests due to the inconvenience posed by this situation.

Kudos To The Residents

Shin Min interviewed a resident in his seventies living on the 20th floor, who said that it takes him around 15 to 20 minutes to climb up the stairs and get home every day, as he needs to rest in between flights of stairs.

To this uncle, from the bottom of my heart, I give you a big thumbs up–I can barely walk up the stairs of an overhead bridge without feeling like I just ran a marathon.

In light of the situation, he has significantly reduced the number of times he goes out of the house.

He also shared that while he was still able to tolerate such strenuous activity, other seniors or wheelchair-bound individuals would have no choice but to be cooped up at home for this period.

Indeed, two elderly residents reported that they had been stuck at home for 12 days.

Another resident who recently came back from his holiday told Shin Min that he had to call the service hotline provided by the condo management to help him and his wife move three of their heavy luggages up to their apartment. They were stuck at the ground floor for one hour before the movers arrived to aid them.

According to the signage pasted at the lift lobby of the condo block, residents were also instructed to call the management office should they require any mobility assistance or if they had any enquiries about parcel delivery.

New Year, New Me!

On the bright side, this breakdown may just have come at the perfect time for these residents–helping them burn all of the calories gained from snacking on CNY snacks and emerging from this period with a fitter and toner body.