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HDB tries out mechanised car parks in Bukit Panjang, Changi and Yishun

14 Sep 2014|4,540 views

Residents in Bukit Panjang, Changi and Yishun will get additional parking spaces after mechanised car parks are installed as part of a trial.

Residents at Bukit Panjang, Changi and Yishun will get some relief from parking woes next year, reported The Sunday Times.

Car park charges will remained unchanged for the trial, said HDB. HDB residents currently pay $65 a month to park their cars at unsheltered car parks and $90 per month at sheltered ones. Visitors pay $1 an hour

The Housing Board (HDB) has started building high-rise mechanised car parks as tall as 15 storeys at these three estates, as part of a trial to see if mechanised parking systems (MPS) are suitable for HDB estates.

Costing more than $18 million in total, mechanised car parks at these estates will add 219 parking spaces, up from 717 currently. These estates were picked because of a shortage of parking spaces and the lack of space to build new multi-storey car parks.

"The MPS is not new in Singapore: several private condos and hotels have it. But it will be new in a HDB town," wrote National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan in his blog on Sunday afternoon. He was at the Bukit Panjang HDB estate to launch the construction of a new 15-storey mechanised car park at Bangkit Road, next to an existing multi-storey car park.

To park using the mechanised system, a motorist drives his car into a car lift and parks in it. He then keys in a PIN number and the system will automatically find a parking spot for the car. The driver keys in the same PIN number to collect his car.

While most welcomed the move, a few residents were hesitant about using the new system.

Ram Bijay pondered what happens if the waiting time is too long or if the car is damaged while Tan, told the tabloid he will only use the carpark if there are no regular parking spots available.

Mr Henry Tng, business development manager of Japanese construction and engineering firm Sato Kogyo, which is building the Bukit Panjang MPS, said his company has been building such parking systems in Japan for more than 20 years. "It is reliable. We are not only building it but also maintaining it."

The HDB said the systems will have hotlines manned around the clock and back-up generators in case of power failures, and went on to add, "If cars are damaged by the system due to mechanical failure, there will be insurance coverage by the contractor as the system provider."

Residents at Bukit Panjang, Changi and Yishun will get some relief from parking woes next year, reported The Sunday Times.

The Housing Board (HDB) has started building high-rise mechanised car parks as tall as 15 storeys at these three estates, as part of a trial to see if mechanised parking systems (MPS) are suitable for HDB estates.

Costing more than $18 million in total, mechanised car parks at these estates will add 219 parking spaces, up from 717 currently. These estates were picked because of a shortage of parking spaces and the lack of space to build new multi-storey car parks.

"The MPS is not new in Singapore: several private condos and hotels have it. But it will be new in a HDB town," wrote National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan in his blog on Sunday afternoon. He was at the Bukit Panjang HDB estate to launch the construction of a new 15-storey mechanised car park at Bangkit Road, next to an existing multi-storey car park.

To park using the mechanised system, a motorist drives his car into a car lift and parks in it. He then keys in a PIN number and the system will automatically find a parking spot for the car. The driver keys in the same PIN number to collect his car.

While most welcomed the move, a few residents were hesitant about using the new system.

Ram Bijay pondered what happens if the waiting time is too long or if the car is damaged while Tan, told the tabloid he will only use the carpark if there are no regular parking spots available.

Mr Henry Tng, business development manager of Japanese construction and engineering firm Sato Kogyo, which is building the Bukit Panjang MPS, said his company has been building such parking systems in Japan for more than 20 years. "It is reliable. We are not only building it but also maintaining it."

The HDB said the systems will have hotlines manned around the clock and back-up generators in case of power failures, and went on to add, "If cars are damaged by the system due to mechanical failure, there will be insurance coverage by the contractor as the system provider."