Coupon parking to be phased out altogether
-
About seven in ten public off-street carparks managed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) already operate under the electronic parking system, and the plan is to eventually phase out coupon parking altogether, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee on Tuesday (Feb 7).
Mr Lee, speaking in Parliament, said that as of December, 1,537 out of 2,104 public off-street carparks managed by URA and HDB operate under the electronic system.
On-street carparks, such as kerbside parking with site constraints and carparks affected by impending redevelopment, are unsuitable for electronic parking systems and the two government agencies are exploring new parking technology.
New coupons were issued in line with higher public carpark charges that took effect in December. Workers’ Party Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leon Perera had asked if motorists could continue to use old parking coupons at pro-rated rates.
Mr Lee said that there is no need for the authorities to allow this, because there are enough parking coupons for exchange at the majority of petrol stations, as well as at HDB branches and the URA.
At the same time, enforcement officers are issuing advisory notices instead of parking-offence notices to motorists who are still using the old coupons, who may have overlooked the change during this transition period, Mr Lee said, adding that the volume of sale and exchange of coupons has now stabilised.