URA CARPARKS (Free parking on Sundays and public holidays)

Mr Leong Horn Kee asked the Minister for National Development whether the Urban Redevelopment Authority will follow the example of the Housing and Development Board and allow free parking on Sundays and public holidays in all URA carparks.

Mr Dhanabalan: Mr Speaker, Sir, generally, URA does not charge for parking on Sundays and public holidays except in places where the demand for parking is high and there is a need to encourage rapid turnaround of traffic, for example, Newton Hawker Centre, Holland Village and so on.

At the request of various advisers to CCCs, the URA has allowed free parking on Sundays and public holidays in its car parks which fringe estates within the constituencies of those who have requested. These are at Upper Serangoon Road, Everton Park, Chip Bee Gardens and Bukit Theresa.

Mr Leong Horn Kee (Thomson): Sir, if any Member of this House were to request that URA car parks in their constituencies be exempted from parking charges on Sundays and holidays, would the Minister be prepared to consider such requests favourably?

Mr Dhanabalan: Sir, yes, provided that car park is not near a hawker centre that requires a fast turnaround of traffic.