70 Park and Ride spaces to go in June

Spaces in Kallang to make way for building of Sports Hub
Christopher Tan, Straits Times 22 May 10;

JUST weeks after Park and Ride was enhanced with the announcement of three new sites, the 20-year-old scheme to persuade motorists not to drive into town for work has hit a pothole.

From June 1, Park and Ride users can no longer park in spaces at the Kallang Sports Complex, near the National Stadium. It is one of the popular spots, as drivers can hop onto buses that take them into the central business district, via Nicoll Highway, in minutes.

Under the scheme, motorists buy a monthly parking pass for a carpark space, along with a stored value ez-link card to use on public transport. It costs $70: $40 in bus or train fares, and $30 for the season parking pass, which is lower than typical season parking charges of $90 or more. There are 70 Park and Ride spaces there, which are usually fully taken up.

The Singapore Sports Council, which owns the spaces, said the move was 'in preparation for construction work' to start on the Sports Hub.

Motorists who have been using the Park and Ride venue are not happy.

Bank officer John Peh, 36, said: 'Why can't they allocate us another carpark nearby? There are so many spaces near the Kallang Leisure Park.'

The Land Transport Authority, when contacted yesterday, would say only that it would 'continue to work with car park owners to enhance the scheme'.

Mr Peh, who lives in Marine Parade and works in Raffles Place, has been using Park and Ride for over a year now.

The scheme was improved recently after public feedback that it could be made more user-friendly.

Changes include allowing users to buy monthly ticket sets online if they do not wish to wait in early morning queues.

And from this month, three more parking sites were set aside, bringing the total to close to 40. The new sites - in Queenstown, Buona Vista and Yio Chu Kang - added 90 spaces to the 4,700 spaces reserved for Park and Ride nationwide. But from next month, 70 spaces at Kallang will go.

Motorist Sebastian Lim, 30, is not only disappointed with the development, but also with the manner in which drivers were informed.

He said: 'We were told only on May 15, when we were queuing to buy sets for next month. The notice is just too short for us to find an alternative.'

Mr Lim, an account manager who lives in Hougang and works in Raffles Place, has been using the scheme since he bought a car about three months ago.

News of the carpark closure at Kallang has also started making its rounds in online car forums.

Offer alternative Park and Ride sites
Straits Times Forum 25 May 10;

LAST Saturday's report ('70 Park and Ride spaces to go in June') about how the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has decided to give up the Park and Ride spaces at the Kallang Sports Complex comes as a shock.

I work at Suntec City and have always thought I was fulfilling the Government's aim to reduce city congestion by parking outside the Central Business District and taking the bus or train to work.

If the parking spaces have to go because of the construction of the Sports Hub, why did the LTA not find alternatives? Carparks D, E and F, which are close to the Stadium MRT station along the Circle Line, are possible options.

Surely, the LTA could have reserved some spaces, given that there are ample sites available.

What is equally a pity is that when the LTA finally comes up with a good idea that works for motorists, it is scrapped.

While the LTA should not be faulted for the need to remove the Park and Ride spaces, it should at least have looked for alternative sites to keep the scheme alive.

Ian Michael deSouza