HE was trying to drive his taxi into the basement carpark, where the taxi stand is located, when the carpark barrier came down on his vehicle.

Now, the shopping centre is asking the taxi driver's company, SMRT, to pay $900 for the damaged barrier.

However, the taxi driver, who wanted to be known only as Mr E Sim, 48, said the barrier should have had sensors to detect his vehicle.

He also said that the management should have put up clear signs to indicate that vehicles must wait for the barrier to go all the way down before it lifts again for the next vehicle to pass.

'Barriers never fall on cars, they always let them in,' Mr Sim argued, referring to barrier sensors that automatically detect vehicles.

'It is a huge sum for me if I have to pay. I have a family of four children to support and am just able to make ends meet.

'This incident has made me tense. I do not want to pay such a big amount because I feel the mistake was not mine,' said Mr Sim, who earns between $1,800 and $2,000 a month.

TAXI DIDN'T WAIT

The centre manager of Central at Clarke Quay said that Mr Sim's taxi was following a van closely as they approached the carpark barrier at 11.40am last month.

The barrier went up for the van to enter and Mr Sim followed, speeding past it, instead of waiting for his turn, he added.

All this was captured on the mall's CCTV, the centre manager said. He also showed The New Paper footage from it.

As for Mr Sim's argument that the sensors should have detected his vehicle, Central's carpark system supplier said that it is advisable for cars to wait for a barrier to return to its original position before moving.

Mr Isaac Goh, 32, the executive director of Archer Logic, which provides carpark management system solutions, told The New Paper: 'All barriers have loop sensors that detect when vehicles are going through.

'However, when one vehicle tailgates another and doesn't stop for the barrier to regain its original position, there is always the possibility of the barrier coming down on it.'

Barriers at carparks typically cost between $1,000 to $4,000, he added.

Mr Sim, who has been driving taxis for the past three years, said it was his first time going to the basement taxi stand at Central and he wasn't aware of the workings of its barrier.

Both Archer and Central's carpark system supplier said that it is common knowledge that cars must wait their turn before passing through.

Taxi driver Lim Koon Chuan, 40, who has also been driving for three years, agreed.

He said: 'I always wait for the barrier to return to its original position, even if there is no sign saying, 'one vehicle at a time'. Why risk going under and getting your taxi damaged?'

Two days after the incident, the managing agent at Central contacted SMRT to inform it about the incident and sent a quotation for the damaged barrier.

An SMRT spokesman said that the company is working with the parties involved and is still looking into the matter. He added that the incident was uncommon.