Oral Answer by Ministry of National Development on how space allocation for heavy vehicle parking lots is calculated and decided for each town
Mar 10, 2022
Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how is the space allocation for heavy vehicle parking lots calculated and decided for each town; (b) how often is this reviewed to ensure that there are sufficient lots to meet residents’ needs; and (c) whether the Ministry of Manpower and the companies in sectors that employ lorry drivers are included in the review process to shift heavy vehicle parking lots away from HDB housing estates.
Answer:
1 As of December 2021, there are about 42,100 heavy vehicle (HV) lots islandwide, and about 32,400 HVs registered under LTA’s Vehicle Parking Certificate (VPC) scheme. Hence, there are sufficient lots for all heavy vehicles islandwide.
2 We recognise that some heavy vehicle drivers may prefer to park near where they reside. However, locating heavy vehicle parks or HVPs in or near residential areas comes at a high opportunity cost, as the land could otherwise cater to housing or other community needs. Residents have also raised noise and safety concerns due to heavy vehicle traffic arising from these HVPs. As the competition for land intensifies, it will be increasingly difficult to have HVPs in or near residential estates, where the trade-offs are most acute. Today, the majority of heavy vehicle lots are already located in industrial areas and privately operated.
3 As the Member has also pointed out, we have been reviewing our plans to progressively reduce the number of public HVPs in or near residential areas, to free up land to meet other development needs. Any injection of public HVPs in or near residential areas will need to be considered carefully.
4 Heavy vehicle drivers play an important role in our economy. We are therefore working closely with agencies like MTI, MOT, ESG and LTA to ensure that there remains sufficient heavy vehicle lots islandwide which are accessible to drivers, as we phase out some of our public HVPs in or near residential areas.
5 As part of this process, we take into consideration feedback from industry stakeholders, like HVP operators and heavy vehicle-operating businesses, to address business needs and possible constraints. We will continue our efforts to engage stakeholders from heavy vehicle-operating sectors, like the private bus and logistics sectors.