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Driver gets note telling her to get lost after parking at Lor Chuan private estate

This article is more than 12 months old

A woman had parked her car along a street of private houses in Lorong Chuan for three days while she was staying at her mother’s HDB flat nearby. 

When she came to collect her vehicle on Feb 1, a handwritten note was left for her. It read:  "You don't belong (to) this neighbourhood. Please remove your car."

According to private residents in the neighbourhood whom Shin Min Daily News spoke to, the overcrowded parking situation there has been going on for years. 

And to make matters worse, residents who live elsewhere use the parking spaces daily. 

“There are about three or five cars that come in at dusk every day and leave the next morning," said one private resident who declined to be named.

Roadside parking at the private estate is free of charge, as opposed to parking at an HDB estate. 

The private resident pointed out, however, that many of the homes along that stretch have more than one car to a house – resulting in a shortage of parking spaces along the narrow road. 

At times, access to the homes are blocked when members of the public park their vehicles in the estate.

Members of the public who don’t live along that stretch say it is fair game, though.

One car owner, who was seen parking his car in the area by Shin Min, defended his actions.

He said he would park his car at the private estate at least two days a week. "It is only one street away from my mother-in-law's house, which is convenient. As long as I obey the traffic rules – and the road outside the private houses is public – why can't I park?"

There are no signs in the area prohibiting parking or indicating parking charges, save for notice boards reminding residents not to park by the curb during cleaning hours on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

One private resident, though, said he felt bad for the woman who received the unwelcoming note. 

The 52-year-old said: "Actually, the residents here are very friendly. I have heard of people in other communities using trash cans and other items to reserve parking spaces, but these things don’t happen here."

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