IT COULD be a quick and convenient solution to Singapore's parking woes.

A mechanised parking system, used in South Korea for a decade, will be in use here later this year. It is likely to be set up in a privately-owned carpark on the outskirts of the CBD.

The industrial-looking system is made up of metal platforms rotating round a skeletal frame, like a vertical Ferris wheel.

Standing between three and six stories high, it can stack between eight to 16 cars at a go on its platforms.

It can be installed in just five days and has a footprint of about two regular parking lots.

Singapore could have at least 100 of these systems, said Mr Raymond Pang, managing director of local distribution company Current.

Last year, Current bagged the distribution rights for the system from Korean company Dongyang PC.

There are 400 sets being used in Seoul now, and it is also exported to countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, and Estonia, said Mr Pang, 37.

He believes it is perfect for popular spots such as Geylang, Holland Village and the Dempsey area, which are often short of parking lots. It is also ideal for private buildings which need more parking space but have no land nearby to acquire, he said.

Mr Pang believes the system's strength is its simplicity.

It is driver-operated, and no attendants are needed. A motorist stops his car in front of the stack, gets out and keys in the number of an empty platform.

The stack rotates in either direction until the free lot is at ground level. He then drives onto the platform and parks his car there.

The system comes in eight, 10, 12, 14 and 16-car models.

It comes in different versions that can accommodate vehicles like the Mercedes Benz S-Class, SUVs and vans.

Its drab look can also be hidden behind colourful trellises and advertising boards.

The structure is unlikely to topple, said Mr Pang, as foundations are laid beneath it and checks are done by engineers to make sure it is stable.

There are also motion sensors, an emergency stop button, as well as safety barriers to prevent cars from falling.

Building and structural plans must be given to the authorities for approval, before the device is set up.

Mechanised carparks, common in places like Korea and Japan, are rare here.

A $6.2 million automated 142-lot carpark in Club Street, built by the Land Transport Authority, opened early this year. Motorists drive their cars onto a platform lift and leave it there. A computer system directs the platform to stack the car in the correct space.

Current's system - with the same number of lots - will be 10 to 20 per cent cheaper than the Club Street carpark, said Mr Pang.

When contacted, the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Singapore Land Authority told my paper that Current had approached them on the possibility of using state land to construct a stand-alone multi-storey car park.

SLA said it had replied that it was unable to support the proposal.

The agencies said, in a joint statement, that building stand-alone multi-storey car parking stations is "generally discouraged as they do not maximise the full development potential of the land".

They added: "All developments are required to provide parking within the respective buildings to meet their needs."

This article was first published in my paper on Apr 11, 2008.