Waiting Time for Applicants for Heavy Vehicle Season Parking in Nee Soon GRC
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the waiting time and measures to expedite heavy vehicle season parking (HVP) applications in Nee Soon GRC, as raised by Er Dr Lee Bee Wah. Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong explained that wait times vary by turnover and that nationwide HVP capacity currently exceeds the number of registered heavy vehicles. He advised applicants to consider private HVP spaces or the Land Transport Authority’s online resources while continuing to use their current designated parking lots. The Minister highlighted that noise, safety concerns, and land needs for housing make it difficult to meet HVP demand within residential areas. Future plans involve phasing out residential HVP spaces for development and introducing new spaces in nearby industrial sites via the Government Land Sales programme.
Transcript
37 Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for National Development in view of the 370 applicants on the waitlist for heavy vehicle season parking spaces in and around Nee Soon GRC (a) how long will the waiting time be; and (b) what is the Ministry doing to expedite the waiting process.
Mr Lawrence Wong: As of mid-July 2018, there were 339 applicants on the wait list for the 845 public heavy vehicle parking (HVP) spaces in and around Nee Soon. The waiting time will vary depending on how many drivers give up their parking spaces, the length of wait list, and the number of spaces for each parking lot. Besides the public HVP spaces, applicants can also take up private HVP spaces in the area, where there are vacancies available.
On a nation-wide basis, as of mid-July 2018, the 42,372 HVP spaces far exceeded the 33,500 heavy vehicles registered with LTA. All registered heavy vehicles are required to have a designated overnight HVP space. Those who prefer to remain on the waiting list for public HVP spaces should continue to park at their designated parking lot, or explore alternative spaces via LTA's one-motoring website. Business owners should also work out the appropriate transport options for their HVP drivers to commute to and from work.
While HVP drivers would like to park near their homes, we have also received feedback from local residents about noise and safety concerns arising from the heavy vehicle traffic. Land near residential areas is also needed for housing and community needs. It is therefore difficult to continue meeting the demand for HVP spaces in residential areas. Instead, if and when existing public HVP spaces in residential areas are phased out due to development plans, we will introduce HVP spaces in industrial sites sold through the Government Land Sales programme near the area, where possible.