Tackling carpark woes

An expert gives tips on how to drive up long and narrow ramps, and park in a small lot without stress

- By Tham Yuen-C

Bad parking ranks high among motorists' pet peeves, but the blame may not always be on the driver.

Take Shaw House at the junction of Orchard Road and Scotts Road. The carpark in the building, which was constructed in the 1970s, is notorious for its tight parking spaces.

Spaces often sit empty not because they are unwanted, but simply because most cars cannot physically fit into them.

And even if skilled drivers manage to squeeze their cars in, exiting their vehicles will prove nearly impossible.

The Parking Places (Provision of Parking Places and Parking Lots) Rules stipulate that the minimum dimensions of a carpark space must be at least 2.4m wide and 4.8m long and, for parallel parking, 5.4m long.

Cars now bigger than before

These dimensions have remained largely the same in decades. Yet cars have become bigger over the years.

Today, cars such as the Toyota Camry, at 4,920mm long, breach the minimum length for a carpark lot.

A Tesla Model Y is 2,129mm wide with side mirrors extended, leaving just 15cm on either side for drivers and passengers to get out in smaller parking spaces.