Barrier-free car park system extended to Old Airport Road
The barrier-free entrance (left) and exit (right) at the multi-storey car park of Old Airport Road will give motorists greater convenience. (Photo: Housing and Development Board)
SINGAPORE: Motorists using the car parks near Old Airport Road Food Centre will now enjoy a smoother parking experience following the roll-out of a smart, barrier-free system.
Known as Parking@HDB, it was installed at the open-air car park (K7) and the multi-storey car park (KM4) at Old Airport Road earlier this week, said the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in a media release on Friday (Sep 16).
The two car parks are the seventh and eighth car parks where Parking@HDB will be trialled, following the introduction of the system in six other car parks in Punggol since January 2021.
The system was first introduced at Northshore Residences I and II in Punggol.
SEAMLESS ENTRY AND EXIT FOR MOTORISTS
Four features will be trialled at the Old Airport Road car parks.
With the smart parking system, gantry barriers will no longer be put up at the car park entrance and exit, as vehicle plates are registered via cameras.
There will also be more payment options for short-term parking charges. Motorists can download the Parking@HDB app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, which will allow them to pay their parking charges via credit or debit card through the app.
The smart parking system detects the vehicle when it enters the car park and automatically activates the parking session through the app. Parking charges will automatically be deducted when they exit the car park, and motorists do not have to manually activate the app.
"With this, motorists need not insert their cash cards into the In-vehicle Unit, nor worry about insufficient funds," said HDB.
Motorists who do not have the Parking@HDB app can still continue to have their parking charges deducted from their cash card in the In-vehicle Unit.
COLOUR-CODED LIGHTS FOR LOT AVAILABILITY
To help motorists search for parking lots, colour-coded LED indicators have been installed above every parking lot at the multi-storey car park at Old Airport Road to show lot availability.
Green indicates that the lots are available for short-term parking, while amber means the lots are reserved for season parking. Blue indicates that the lots are reserved for people with physical disabilities.
If a motorist parks in an "unauthorised lot", the light indicator will turn red and flash to prompt the motorist to move the vehicle immediately.
The indicator will be switched off for occupied lots.
But the overhead indicators will not be installed in open-air car parks, said HDB.
Motorists who downloaded the Parking@HDB app will receive in-app notifications in real-time at the start and end of their short-term parking sessions, as well as notifications on their incurred charges.
They will also receive an automated alert informing them to shift their vehicles if they park in an unauthorised lot. Those who do not move their vehicles will face a fine.
Smart cameras are installed in the car park to detect motorists who park illegally, said HDB.
Those who do not have the app installed will receive an SMS alert from HDB if their mobile numbers are updated with HDB. As for motorists who do not have the app downloaded or have their mobile numbers registered with HDB, the system will alert HDB to take enforcement action.
"This will allow for automated enforcement around the clock to ensure more orderly parking that benefits both motorists and residents," said HDB.
CLOSE TO 2 MILLION TRANSACTIONS
Since the start of the smart parking system trial at Punggol Northshore in January 2021, HDB said close to 2 million parking transactions have been processed.
Currently, 90 per cent of the feedback from motorists pertains to delays entering or exiting the car parks due to the gantry barriers.
With the system, HDB said motorists experienced at least "16 per cent time savings" entering and exiting the car parks as they do not have to wait for the gantry barrier to be raised, especially during peak hours.
Among the 21,000 users of the Parking@HDB app, about 20 per cent of the motorists parking short-term at the six car parks in Punggol paid their parking charges via the app. The remaining 80 per cent paid using cashcards.
The number of illegal parking cases have also decreased by about 60 per cent at such car parks, with the in-app alerts to remind motorists to shift their vehicles when illegal parking is detected.
HDB said it is currently evaluating and finetuning these pilots, before progressively extending them to other car parks.
Residents and motorists are also invited to try out the Parking@HDB experience and share with HDB their feedback to help further refine the system.
New motorists who download and use the Parking@HDB app will enjoy free parking for their first three parking sessions at these car parks, said HDB.
