One bike coupon = all-day parking?

[MarrickG]

USING the same 65-cent parking coupon, motorcyclist Osman Esak could park in different HDB and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) carparks throughout the day without incurring extra cost.

The civil servant's job requires him to visit several places each day.

But with the introduction of the Electronic Parking System (EPS) at more HDB and URA carparks, Mr Osman said that he is charged 65 cents each time he enters a different carpark.

Though this still covers parking from 7am to 10.30pm or 10.30pm to 7am, it applies only to one carpark.

Mr Osman, who has been riding for 20 years, said he pays about $100 more now in parking fees a month because there are more EPS carparks around, compared to before. Previously, his parking expenses came to about $65 a month.

Mr Osman said: "My job requires me to travel from one place to another, and I may need to park at several locations at different times each day.

"So why do I (and other motorcyclists) have to pay more now? In the past, I needed only one coupon a day," he said.

Mr Osman said he can claim the additional parking expenses from his company, but often doesn't do so because it's too much of a hassle.

He's suggesting that the EPS detect and charge each in-vehicle unit or cashcard only once, irrespective of how many carparks a motorcyclist enters for the day.

This would also deter motorcyclists from illegally parking their motorcycles along the pavement. But HDB clarified that motorcyclists have always been required to make separate payments at different carparks - a little-known rule to some motorcyclists we spoke to.

This rule was also vague on HDB's website, which states: "With this coupon (65 cents), you are entitled to park in HDB/URA coupon parking places from 7am to 10.30pm or 10.30pm to 7am, depending on the duration you wish to park your motorcycle."

Programme consultant Karmede Salim, 24, was surprised when The New Paper told him that it was an offence to use the same parking coupon at multiple locations.

Said the motorcyclist: "I've been doing this for the last six years and I've never been fined before. I didn't even know I had to use different coupons for different places."

He usually only commutes from home to office, so he's largely unaffected by the EPS charges.

 

[cass888]

But with the introduction of the Electronic Parking System (EPS) at more HDB and URA carparks, Mr Osman said that he is charged 65 cents each time he enters a different carpark.

Good. Finally they close up this loophole. Don't understand why they didn't have a tab to make the motorist tear the car park number in the old coupons.

 

[Cestbon]

Actually is more expensivethan car if motorbike enter less than 40min in normal carpark.
Because calculated as per entry. Something wrong with the method of calculation.