>EVERY time I borrow my fiancee's mother's car for the weekend, I go back to find the nearby multi-storey carpark almost full.
The only available spaces will invariably be on the top deck.
My future mother-in-law is not going to climb five storeys to her car the next day. So, in return for using it, I'm supposed to drive it down to a lower deck in the morning - something I don't look forward to.
As a soon-to-be car owner myself, I will join the ranks of drivers who feel their estate's carparks are inadequate and in need of some design upgrades.
Going by readers' complaints others, too, have faced similar problems when they go home to find parking spaces only on the least-desirable, unsheltered deck of some multi-storey carparks.
It costs $90 a month for season parking there - that's what the Housing Board (HDB) charges for covered lots.
The fee is much higher than the $65 a month for unsheltered surface carparks.
Unfortunately, the number of cars at my Pasir Ris carpark seems to have grown each time I use it.
Unless I return at the unlikely time of 6pm on a weekend, there's no chance of getting a sheltered parking space.
This, I feel, defeats the purpose of paying the extra $25.
Besides, there are also no surface carparks nearby.
Recently, a reader even suggested charging lower parking rates for the unsheltered top levels of multi-storey carparks, an indication of how residents must feel when they don't get their money's worth.
Holding a season parking label does not guarantee a choice space, however.
I was surprised to find out from the HDB that non-residents can pay for season parking there, too.
However, the HDB says priority will be given to residents of the estate served by the carpark.
There is no difference in the monthly season parking fee for non-residents.
With season parking available to so many, it is no wonder the red-painted lots are always taken up by the time I get back late at night.
Currently, most of the lower decks at my carpark are reserved for season parking, and the higher floors for visitors.
While it may serve season parking holders well to have more parking spaces set aside, as car ownership goes up, it is unlikely to solve the problem.
To be fair, however, there are limits to how many labels a household can get, depending on supply.
Priority will be accorded to the first vehicle of the household. Remaining parking spaces will be allocated to subsequent vehicles belonging to the same household as well as non-residents on a first-come, first-served basis.
However, improving the design of multi-storey carparks could go a long way in making life better for HDB residents.
For a start, adding shelters to the rooftop decks of these carparks will make it less inconvenient for users, especially when it rains.
Since 2005, the HDB has been building shelters on the uncovered roof decks of carparks where demand has, well, hit the roof.
It will extend this to other multi-storey carparks where suitable.
But, more importantly, lifts should be installed at all multi-storey carparks, and not just the taller ones.
This would not only encourage parking at all levels but also make it easier for older drivers, who will then be spared climbing several flights of stairs. It will even allow the disabled to use regular lots.
These features might eventually raise parking charges, but it is something I would willingly fork out money for - just for the sake of convenience.
