Extended grace period at HDB, URA car parks to be cut to 15 minutes from Sept 1

SINGAPORE — The grace period for short-term parking in all Housing and Development Board (HDB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) car parks with electronic parking systems will be revised to 15 minutes from Sept 1, down from the current 20 minutes.

This will follow the easing of Covid-19 safety measures here since April and there are fewer people working from home, HDB said in a statement on Monday (Aug 22).

Before the pandemic, motorists were given a 10-minute grace period to facilitate their search for a parking lot and to carry out quick drop-offs and pick-ups.

Since the circuit breaker partial lockdown period in 2020, HDB and URA have been temporarily adjusting the grace period to 20 minutes in response to the dynamic Covid-19 situation.

This was done to facilitate the increased volume of deliveries for food, groceries and other essential goods when residents stayed home to minimise the spread of the infectious disease.

"Our records show that a 15-minute grace period has generally been sufficient even during the period with increased demand for deliveries. HDB and URA have also taken into consideration the shift towards e-commerce," the housing authority said.

It added that a 15-minute grace period "will ensure that motorists still have a comfortable time frame to search for a parking lot and carry out pick-ups and drop-offs".

Motorists who exit the car parks within the grace period will not be charged parking fees.

PARKING COUPONS NO LONGER SOLD AT HDB BRANCHES

In its statement, HDB also said that the sale and exchange of parking coupons at all its branches will cease from Sept 19.

The installation of electronic parking systems in more than nine in 10 HDB car parks, coupled with the introduction of the Parking.sg mobile application in 2017, has resulted in sales of parking coupons dropping by 99 per cent in recent years.

Motorists who still wish to buy coupons may do so from petrol stations, as well as 7-Eleven and Cheers convenience stores islandwide, it added.

Those who wish to seek a refund for unused or expired parking coupons may continue to do so at HDB branches.