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The grace period for Housing Development Board (HDB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority car parks will be reduced to 15 minutes from Sep. 1, 2022.

It is a five-minute reduction from the current grace period of 20 minutes, which was introduced during the circuit breaker period of the Covid-19 pandemic; before April 2020, the grace period — which refers to the time motorists have to exit car parks before being charged — had been 10 minutes.

The pandemic-prompted increase from 10 to 20 minutes had been to facilitate an increased volume of deliveries for food, groceries and other essential goods while Singaporeans were staying at home.

However, according to an Aug. 22 press release from HDB, records have shown that a 15-minute grace period has generally been sufficient even during the increased demand for deliveries.

"A 15- minute grace period will ensure that motorists still have a comfortable time frame to search for a parking lot and carry out pick-ups and drop-offs," wrote HDB.

"Motorists who exit the car parks beyond the grace period will continue to pay parking fees for the full duration, including the first 15 minutes."

HDB to stop selling parking coupons

In addition, HDB announced that it would discontinue the sale and exchange of parking coupons at all of its branches from Sep. 19, 2022.

It cited the implementation of the electronic parking system at nine in 10 HDB car parks and the introduction of the Parking.sg app in 2017.

Such developments have seen sales of parking coupons drop by 99 per cent in recent years.

Motorists seeking a refund for unused or expired parking coupons can continue to do so at HDB branches.

Parking coupons will also continue to be available for purchase from authorised agents such as petrol stations, as well as 7-Eleven and Cheers outlets island-wide for now.

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