“MANAGEABLE” SITUATION
Residents at other landed estates in Singapore were more forgiving of errant parking.
At Faber Heights in Clementi, one resident who declined to be named told CNA that bird watchers tend to park at the end of the lane that links up to the Ulu Pandan park connector, but the parking situation has been “manageable”.
“We are (isolated) enough that it discourages drivers from parking here. But our road is also wide, and the porches of the houses are big enough to fit cars. Most home owners here park inside their house. We are lucky in that sense,” he said.
A 62-year-old resident at a small MacPherson estate said he “is not the sort who believes only I can park (on the public road) there if I live there”.
The road in front of his house is a cul-de-sac, which means there is no through road. One side of the lane is “always parked with cars”, leaving residents to use just one lane, and “you might need to wait to manoeuvre your car to go in and out”, said Mr EK Ong, who has lived there for more than 30 years.
Parking disputes in his area often involve commercial vehicles, he said. These vehicles are bigger and block his view when he drives out of his house, posing a danger.
In one instance, a vehicle was parked such that it blocked part of his gate, leaving him “no space to go out” should there be an emergency.
Mr Ong has tried telling his neighbours about the HDB car parks nearby, where they can park additional vehicles. But as the car parks are about 100m to 200m away, “they may be lazy”, he said.
Another concern, he added, is whether the public roads outside the landed homes are “designed to be road or car park”.
“It’s an urban design issue (for) either the Urban Redevelopment Authority or the Land Transport Authority. They don’t make it clear whether it’s designed to be a road or car park,” he said, adding that he has suggested they “draw a line so no one can park”.
“It’s not so much about which is right or wrong, but it’s an emotional and social issue.”
Mr Ong said “fortunately” his estate is a mature one with older neighbours.
“Older folks tend to be more tolerant because we know each other quite well. … We need to talk and communicate rather than venting,” he said.