PARKING LOTS FOR CONTAINER TRAILERS

Mr Chng Hee Kok asked the Minister for National Development whether there are sufficient parking places designated for container trailers.

The Minister for National Development (Mr S. Dhanabalan): Mr Speaker, Sir, Government philosophy is that operations of trailers are strictly commercial undertakings like bus operations. Trailer owners should make their own arrangements for parking space just as bus operations, for example, SBS, TIBS and tourist buses have. The public sector itself provides only a few lots. URA has 411 lots at Marina South for temporary use. PSA has another 260. The number of trailers registered in Singapore has doubled between 1983 and now to about 8,400.

To alleviate the shortage of parking facilities, the Ministry will identify vacant land near the port or industrial areas to be leased out to private operators for trailer parking. I will also ask JTC to identify such land within its industrial estates for use as trailer parks.

Mr Chng Hee Kok (Tiong Bahru GRC): Sir, will the Minister inform the House when such land will be made available for use and whether they are sufficiently large?

Mr Dhanabalan: Sir, we should be making available some lots which are already available in the course of this year but new sites will have to be identified over the course of the next three years.