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A driver in Singapore had a minor disagreement with a parking enforcement officer recently, after the officer pointed out that he did not have a valid parking coupon.

He wrote to Mothership to share his experience, and his belief that the officer had been "desperate" to fine him.

Parked along the road in Ubi

Sitting in his car after parking along Ubi Road 2, the man had not yet displayed a valid parking coupon, nor started a parking session on the Parking.sg mobile app.

This apparently caught the attention of a parking enforcement officer, who walked over and gestured at his handheld device — presumably to tell the driver that there was no parking session started.

In the course of the conversation that ensued, the man insisted he should not be booked as he had just arrived at the parking space.

He also questioned the officer's competence, and said repeatedly that he would file a complaint against the officer if he was issued a summons.

The driver's explanation to the officer was that because he had just arrived, and because he was still in the car, he could not be expected to have put up a parking coupon.

However, the officer responded that this would be justified if he had only been there “for a little while”.

The interaction ended with the man saying he would "load" — presumably referring to the Parking.sg app — and repeating that he would file a complaint if he received a summons.

The officer then walks away.

Transcript

Here's a transcript of what was said:

Man: Huh, what is the matter?

Officer: You didn't put a parking coupon.

Man: I've just arrived, I haven't put one yet.

Officer: There's no such thing as "I've just arrived", everyone must...

Man: I've just stopped my car in the lot leh.

Officer: I didn't know. How would I know what time you arrived?

Man: You have to check, mah. There is someone in the car leh. Is this your first day of work?

Officer: There's no choice. Nowadays, our instructions are that even if there's someone in the car, you have to have a parking coupon. Unless you say that you've only been here for a little while...

Man: Eh, I just entered the lot. Do you want to see my camera? You've issued a ticket already, is it? I'll make a complaint against you. I'll load now.

Officer: (indistinct)

Man: The driver hasn't alighted, how can he put a parking coupon?

Officer: I'm explaining so that you understand, okay?

Man: No, no, if you summon me, I will definitely make a complaint against you. I have recorded it already. I just stopped here!

Officer: What time did you stop? (indistinct)

Man: Don't say that, my camera will confirm complain you, if you do such things. The driver hasn't alighted the vehicle, how can he put a parking coupon? Do you know how to do your job? Is it your first day? Summon me, and I will confirm make a complaint against you. Come lor.

Officer: It's not about whether I want to summon. I just want to explain it for you okay, mister.

Man: I will now load first. If you summon me [and] mail it to me, I will definitely make a complaint against you.

You can watch the video here:

How long was the man in the car?

Based on the timestamps in the video footage, the man entered the parking lot at around 6:08pm.

The car came to a halt at 6:09pm.

The interaction with the parking officer took place at 6:11:49 — less than 3 minutes after the car was parked.

Could the man have committed a parking offence while sitting in the car?

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)'s website lists three common mistakes committed by drivers who use the Parking.sg app, in an infographic.

One of the mistakes is starting one's parking session late.

The infographic provides the example of a driver who parked at 4:00pm, but only started a parking session at 4:10pm.

"Don't wait - start your parking session promptly," reads the tip on the infographic.

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