Friday, January 7, 2011

The End Of Free Parking Is Near

Judging from the mercenary element of his recommendations, it is tempting to surmise that Asst Prof Barter of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy is likely to barter trade his grandmother if there was a market for grandmothers in Geylang. Writing his 93-page research paper on parking policy in Asian cities, this foreigner has the gall to suggest a ERP-like system that would raise prices when car parks are consistently more than 85-percent full. He proudly proclaims, "Parking is a missed opportunity not consistent with all of the other public transport and car policies." Even Transport Minister Raymond Lim winced at that one, coming so soon after the Distance-Fare debacle and COE meltdown.

Already anger is simmering over the HDB "experiment" to do away with free parking on Sundays. Free parking on Sundays and public holidays was first mooted in 1985 to encourage Singaporeans who have set up their own households to visit their parents and grandparents, since extended families are difficult to accommodate in high-rise pigeon holes. At least once a week, the senior citizens get to enjoy quality time with their children and grandchildren. Before they get shipped off to nursing homes in Batam, Bintang and Johore. Of course this Asian trait of filial piety has to be totally alien to the Ang Moh. To reinforce the issue, China is now drafting a law to let the elderly sue children who fail to drop by. The proposed legal amendment comes amid reports of growing numbers of "empty nesters" in China as its population ages.

What is really inexplicable is that grassroots leaders reportedly first asked for the removal of free parking at carparks near the Serangoon Nex shopping mall. Even before before the mall opened in November. The garish red signs declaring implementation of the new revenue collecting exercise are slowly being introduced at carparks across the island, carparks that are not in the vicinity of any shopping mall - and endangering the survival of kopitiams and HDB businesses. Are they trying to be useful, helping their political masters to finance the "budget goodies" planned for the imminent elections? Expect hordes of tongkatted grandmas insisting on being wheel-chaired to the polling stations.

10 comments:

  1. Money is the solution to all, this I think is within the ability of every layman.
    How to solve a problem without resorting to money AND FOREIGN TRASHS, academics or whatever educated rascals, is where the LEADERSHIP has to prove its' mettle and proficiency.

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  2. What else can one expect from a lky school employees? They all have to fall in line like the typical civil servants, don't they? I am very sure this angmoh is also looking forward to having his employment indefinitely extended for the easy money.

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  3. Does anyone know that the freaking grassroot leaders only have to pay for one season and can park anywhere in the whole estate for free.So the freaking grassroot leaders park at Serangoon Nex for free. If I am a member of the RC in Bukit Batok Zone D my season parking allows me to park at any carpark within the whole of Bukit Batok. Now do you know why people join the RCs. Take this and other perks away and lets see if this idiots are actually keen to serve the people.

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  4. WTF do we need an Angmo in the first place to come here to talk about a domestic issue that will have a direct impact on the daily lives of almost every Singaporean ?

    Does it mean that our PAP leaders are so short of ideas that they can't even think for themselves ?

    Or are they trying to test the water by creating some controversy in order to show that our PAP govt has been so thoughtful all these years to have implemented free parking ?

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  5. Not only will there be no free parking,
    the parking charges are likely to be raised soon.
    Wish me will be wrong, but it is unlikely.

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  6. GE is coming, vote wisely.

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  7. I support this idea because this is total free market driven policy. The further thing to do is to abolish season parking scheme all together and have some real time monitoring and evaluation system (now the devices are there and cheap) to charge REAL free market rates for car parking. This will discourage car ownership and encourage car sharing and public transport. Charge the real cost of land used for car park. This is the only way to go for a tiny red dot that has real limited land area. In Hong Kong, motorists have to purchase a carpark lot before buying and driving a car. Carpark is still very cheap, especially in HDB estates.

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  8. To the person who posted on February 9:

    Well MR FREE MARKET ECONOMY, free market principles also have their limitations. Increasing the prices of everything can only go so far before there is deep social discontent. Look at the USA under Bush, he liberalised the securities and banking industry and that allowed the sub-prime fiasco to explode in everyone's faces, including Singapore.

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  9. ""Does anyone know that the freaking grassroot leaders only have to pay for one season and can park anywhere in the whole estate for free.So the freaking grassroot leaders park at Serangoon Nex for free. If I am a member of the RC in Bukit Batok Zone D my season parking allows me to park at any carpark within the whole of Bukit Batok. Now do you know why people join the RCs. Take this and other perks away and lets see if this idiots are actually keen to serve the people.""

    If the above mentioned said is true... time to bring this up again...

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