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URA urges malls to have waiting bays for delivery riders, who say they often park illegally to save time

SINGAPORE — With bicycles, personal mobility devices and motorcycles of delivery riders illegally parked near the entrances of malls and causing obstructions to shoppers a common sight, the authorities have recently sent a circular to mall operators seeking to address the issue.

Food delivery rider loading orders at Westgate shopping mall on May 17, 2021.

Food delivery rider loading orders at Westgate shopping mall on May 17, 2021.

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  • In a recent circular, the Urban Redevelopment Authority advised malls to set aside waiting bays for delivery riders
  • It noted that the growth in delivery rider volume at malls has led to haphazard and illegal parking of delivery riders' vehicles as well as blocking of footpaths
  • Some delivery riders however told TODAY that time is of the essence in their line of work, so they park where it is convenient for them

SINGAPORE — With bicycles, personal mobility devices and motorcycles of delivery riders illegally parked near the entrances of malls and causing obstructions to shoppers a common sight, the authorities have recently sent a circular to mall operators seeking to address the issue.

In an advisory note, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said it wants "to encourage wider adoption of practices to facilitate the safe and efficient pick-up of orders (for example food, groceries, and parcels) by delivery riders at commercial malls".

It advised malls to set aside waiting bays for delivery riders' vehicles and to provide enough motorcycle parking lots, with an adequate parking grace period for their motorcycles.

Delivery riders, however, told TODAY that they park at non-designated areas, even those with no-parking signs, because they are rushing against time to complete their deliveries and pick up more orders.

Some added that the current designated parking spots are either located at inconvenient spots or were also meant for the public, and thus could be overcrowded.

Over two days this week, TODAY visited 10 malls across the island and spoke with nine delivery riders who parked at areas such as pedestrian walkways and near entrances that had no-parking signs.

“(This) is actually the best spot to wait for orders,” said Mr Lester Liao, a 38-year-old GrabFood rider with an e-bike parked near a no-parking sign, along a corridor beside the smoking area at Westgate mall in Jurong East.

The mall has one designated parking spot for bicycle riders at the back entrance of the building, which was usually too crowded, Mr Liao added. 

“As much as possible we want to comply with the respective malls’ regulations directly… but if it really obstructs our work, then who would want to comply?”

Mr Mirzan Zainal, a 36-year-old GrabFood rider on a bicycle concurred.

“The longer we take the less orders we get…the faster we (collect) the order, the faster we get to the destination,” he said.

Some riders said that they tried their best to avoid parking in crowded areas and places with obvious no parking signages.

“We choose (where we park) on a case-by-case basis, if the delivery is somewhere nearby, we just park outside the store, grab the order within less than five minutes and quickly get out,” said a 25-year-old GrabFood and foodpanda delivery rider, who only wanted to be known as Ray. 

He added that for parking longer that five minutes, he would park at areas with signs indicating they were for personal mobility devices (PMDs) and bicycles.

He also said that the designated parking areas at some malls are not sheltered and do not have surveillance cameras, which discourages him from parking there.

Two delivery riders' vehicles parked beside a no-parking sign at Westgate mall on Dec 23, 2022.

WHAT URA SAYS

The circular issued by the URA on Nov 30 said that a key factor for its recommendations is that the growth in delivery rider volume at malls has led to haphazard and illegal parking of delivery riders' vehicles as well as blocking of footpaths.

The URA said that this affects the movement and accessibility of shoppers, and could potentially lead to a reduction in mall visitors and business viability of the tenants in the malls.

One of its key advisories is for malls to provide waiting bays for delivery workers that are:  

  • Within a short walking distance of mall entrances
  • Sheltered from the rain
  • Located at existing informal locations of parking by delivery riders, mall pick-up and drop-off points and motorcycle parking at existing carparks
  • Large enough to fit approximately 15-20 motorcycles or bicycles
  • Clearly demarcated with signages and a box drawn on the floor

It also recommended that motorcycle waiting bays be separate from bicycle and PMD waiting bays for safety reasons.

URA noted that some of its recommendations have already been implemented by malls, which have reduced the disamenities caused by delivery riders.

It added that enforcement of proper use of waiting bays will fall under the purview of mall developers and operators.

But government agencies will continue to enforce against illegal parking, and reckless and unsafe behaviour by motorcyclists and active mobility device users on roads and pathways.

In response to TODAY’s queries, a spokesperson from Frasers Property Retail said that its malls have a 30-minute grace period to cater to delivery riders in their car parks, and that vehicles such as PMDs and bicycles can be parked at or near bicycle docks outside their malls.

A spokesperson from Tampines Mall said that it offers a 15-minute grace period for delivery riders in its car parks and has allocated ad-hoc parking space near the level one taxi stand for delivery riders.

Some mall security guards told TODAY that they typically do not take any action against delivery riders who park at non-designated areas and block shoppers, such as clamping the vehicles.

“There is no proper solution right now….we just advise them (to move away from the restricted areas),” said a 25-year-old security guard working at a mall in the west.

“We are also human beings, we understand each other, they also have a rice bowl (to fill) and so do we,” he added, saying that riders usually move along when asked.

Related topics

Urban Redevelopment Authority delivery riders shopping malls

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