ILLEGAL PARKING

ILLEGAL PARKING

1.

Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how long is the processing time for Traffic Police to respond to public feedback on persistent illegal parking on roads; (b) what are the steps taken by Traffic Police in response to such a feedback; and (c) what is the frequency of checks by Traffic Police on stretches of roads known to have frequent illegal parking incidences.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Traffic Police receives feedback on illegal parking from the public by telephone and through the post. When a member of the public writes to Traffic Police with feedback on illegal parking, he will receive an acknowledgement from the Traffic Police within five working days.

Upon receiving feedback on illegal parking, if Traffic Police assesses that the vehicle is causing serious obstruction or posing road safety risks to other road users, Traffic Police will immediately proceed to the scene to take action. Otherwise, Traffic Police adopts a problem-solving approach to tackle the illegal parking problem at source.

First, Traffic Police will form a working group, which involves the community living around the area of complaint. Participants in such working groups include representatives from schools, grassroots organisations, places of worship, and other agencies such as the Land Transport Authority and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The working group will then assess the problem and work towards a solution that meets the needs of all the stakeholders. Typically, the group will arrive at a consensus after meeting for about one to six months.

In areas with frequent illegal parking problems, CISCO officers, under the Traffic Warden Scheme, typically conduct patrols every 15 minutes to enforce against parking offences.

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