Grace Period for Parking at HDB and URA Car Parks and Other Measures to Help Food Delivery Riders
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Hany Soh's inquiry regarding the implementation of a 15-minute grace period at HDB and URA car parks and the provision of designated food delivery pick-up points. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee replied that the standard 10-minute grace period remains sufficient as car park usage patterns have returned to pre-Circuit Breaker levels. He explained that short grace periods are necessary to ensure vehicle turnover, prevent congestion, and protect the interests of residents and season parking holders. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee also noted that delivery riders may utilize existing loading and unloading bays at HDB blocks for their delivery and pick-up activities. The government will continue to monitor the needs of various car park users and review the grace period policy as necessary.
Transcript
106 Ms Hany Soh asked the Minister for National Development whether all HDB and URA car parks will (i) implement a transitional parking of at least 15 minutes grace period and (ii) provide designated food delivery pick-up points at loading and unloading bays for registered food delivery riders.
Mr Desmond Lee: HDB and URA car parks generally offer a 10-minute grace period. The grace period was extended to 20 minutes from April to June this year to cater to the increase in delivery of food and other daily essentials, as a result of Circuit Breaker measures.
Since then, based on our monitoring of HDB and URA carpark usage, the proportion of people using the carparks for less than 20 minutes has largely reverted to pre-Circuit Breaker levels, where a 10-minute grace period was generally sufficient for motorists to conduct pick-up or drop-off activities.
As the demand for HDB and URA car parks is high, the grace period has to be kept short to ensure quick turnover of vehicles. This prevents congestion in the car park, allows more motorists to use the car park, and ensures that the interests of residents who drive or have season parking are adequately safeguarded.
In addition, loading and unloading bays are provided at HDB blocks for quick loading and unloading activities. Delivery riders can use these designated spots for food delivery and pick-up.
Nonetheless, we will continue to monitor the situation on the ground, understand the needs of different groups of car park users including delivery drivers and riders, and review the grace period as necessary.