PARKING OF MOTORCYCLES IN HDB VOID DECKS

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Mr Goh Choon Kang asked the Minister for National Development (a) how widespread is the problem of indiscriminate parking by motorcyclists at Housing and Development Board apartments' void decks; and (b) whether the HDB has any plan to deal with the problem.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Mr Speaker, Sir, I think there is a point of order. This question refers to indiscriminate parking of motorcycles in Housing and Development Board apartments' void decks. May I say that I have got no complaints in respect of the constituency of Potong Pasir with regard to this problem. I think the Member ---

Mr Speaker: It is a very unusual statement, Mr Chiam. You can ask a supplementary question if you want.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Before the Minister gives his answer?

Mr Speaker: You are pre-empting the Minister.

The Minister for National Development (Mr Teh Cheang Wan): Mr Speaker, Sir, in a recent sample survey of 189 apartment blocks in Serangoon Central, Tampines West and Hougang Central Estates, it was found that, on the average, two motorcycles were found parking in the void decks, per block, during the night.

The HDB has served warning notices on motorcycles found parked in the void decks. Although this has resulted in getting some of the owners to park their motorcycles in authorized lots in the car parks, it has not eliminated the problem. Where the parking of motorcycles in the void decks has resulted in the staining of floors by oil leaks, the HDB has taken offenders to Court under the Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Regulations 1970.

To deal with the problem more effectively, the HDB is currently formulating rules to prohibit the parking of motorcycles in the void decks of apartment blocks. Offenders can then be fined under such rules.

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam (Anson): Mr Speaker, Sir, supplementary question for the Minister, and that is: will he tell us whether adequate parking places for motorcyclists are provided in every housing estate, adjacent to the blocks where the residents are living? Is he aware that a number of residents, who hold season parking tickets for motorcycles, return at night to find all the parking spaces taken up and they are then forced to park outside the parking lots?

Mr Teh Cheang Wan: Mr Speaker, Sir, HDB has provided adequate motorcycle parking lots in the housing estates. Perhaps I can give the Member for Anson some figures. HDB manages a total of 103,118 motorcycle lots as at 30th June 1986, that is, up to middle of this year. Only 46,000 season tickets are sold for motorcycle parking, that is 45% In other words, out of 103,118 lots, we only managed to sell less than 50,000 season tickets, which shows that there are ample motorcycle parking lots available.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Is the Minister aware that there have been complaints by residents who hold season parking tickets that when they come back at night, at 1 am or 2 am, after their work, they find all the parking lots taken up, maybe not by the season parking ticket holders but by others who park there without holding any season parking tickets?

Mr Teh Cheang Wan: Those people who park their motorcycles without either season tickets or daily tickets are fined by HDB for taking up motorcycle lots which they are not supposed to. I do not think availability of parking lots is a problem. In most cases these motorcyclists just want to park their motorcycles in the void decks because it is more convenient or because they do not like to park their motorcycles some distance away from their block.

Mr Chiam See Tong: What steps has the HDB taken to publicize this problem or to educate the residents of housing estates not to park their motorcycles in void decks because of oil spills and other problems?

Mr Teh Cheang Wan: Mr Speaker, Sir, I think periodically the HDB has publicized in the Home magazine the problem of parking motorcycles in the void decks, such as oil spills. And, as I have said earlier in answering the Member for Braddell Heights, HDB will be formulating rules to discourage parking of motorcycles in the void decks. These rules will be widely publicized and residents will be advised not to park their motorcycles in the void decks because they should park their motorcylces in proper parking lots. As I have said earlier, there are ample parking lots available in all the housing estates.

Mr Chiam See Tong: Since the HDB knew of this problem, in what housing estates have they publicized and carried out a programme of education in regard to this problem?

Mr Teh Cheang Wan: I said it is publicized in our HDB Home magazine, which means that since all HDB residents receive a copy of the Home magazine, so all HDB residents in every estate are told of this problem.