EXTENSION OF THE FREE PARKING SCHEME

Dr Koh Lam Son asked the Minister for National Development whether he will consider extending the free parking scheme to include the evening hours of Saturdays and the eve of public holidays.

Mr Dhanabalan: Mr Speaker, Sir, the current free parking scheme already provides 15 1/2 hours of parking without charge from 7.00 am to 10.30 pm on Sundays and public holidays so as to encourage social visits in housing estates.

With the introduction of the free parking scheme, some HDB residents who are season ticket holders are already complaining about the congestion and difficulty in finding parking spaces in their residential car parks in the evenings on the free parking days. The extension of free parking to cover the evening hours on Saturdays and on the eve of public holidays is likely to aggravate the problem.

Hence, the HDB does not intend to extend free parking to the evening hours of Saturdays and the eve of public holidays.

Dr Koh Lam Son: Sir, would the Minister not agree that the social visits for weekends and public holidays normally start on Saturday evenings and on the evenings of the eve of public holidays? I would like to inform him that the free parking scheme is very successful in Telok Blangah and I have received no complaints about parking on the eve of public holidays and on Saturday evenings.

Mr Dhanabalan: I am glad to hear, Mr Speaker, Sir, that he has had no problems in Telok Blangah but other constituencies have received complaints. Of course, one can always make out a case. For those who do not work on Saturdays, Friday evenings would be a good time to start their social visits. For those who do not work on Sundays, Saturday evenings would be a good time to start social visits. We have to strike a balance somewhere to balance the interests of those who hold season tickets and those who want to visit their parents or relatives or friends. The present scheme, I think, is adequate. But if RCs and others over a period of time can show me that really there will be no disruption, maybe we can consider, but I think there will be problems.