Free Parking at Government Agencies' Car Parks

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for National Development (a) how many Government and statutory board car parks as a proportion of the total number of these car parks provide free parking on Sundays; (b) how has this proportion varied from 2005 to 2010; and (c) whether the Ministry has plans to change this proportion in the years ahead.

The Senior Minister of State for National Development (Mr Desmond Lee) (for the Minister for National Development): Madam, Government and statutory board car parks are provided by agencies like HDB, JTC, NParks, Sport Singapore and URA. The vast majority of these are HDB residential car parks.

In 2005 and 2010, around 70% of the Government and statutory board car parks offered free parking on Sundays. Currently, the proportion is lower at around 55%.

In assessing whether to provide free parking on Sundays, agencies have to balance the specific needs and parking demands of the area. For example, it may not be feasible to have free parking on Sundays in HDB car parks where there is high demand for parking from the local residents. This is also the reason why the proportion of car parks with free parking on Sundays has come down over these years.

Mr Leon Perera (Non-Constituency Member): Madam, I thank the Senior Minister of State for the detailed answer. I would just like to ask a supplementary question. Would the Government consider setting a goal for the non-HDB car parks to offer free parking on Sundays, given the benefits in terms of family bonding as well as possible stimulus to small businesses and heartland businesses that may benefit from such a move?

Mr Desmond Lee: I thank the Member for his question. In planning for the parking charges for specific car parks, whether HDB or as the Member had asked, for non-HDB car parks, we look at it not just at the macro level but also at the micro level. Certainly, we want to encourage as much free parking on Sundays as possible for the reasons the Member has stated. But if we look at car parks in specific areas, we need to manage the demand. And there are different stakeholders that need to use the car parks. For example, season parking ticket holders may find it difficult to find car park lots in specific areas and we need to make sure that we provide and accommodate them.