HDB Smart Parking Trial at Punggol Northshore Starting 4th January 2021

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Starting on Jan 4, 2021, Singapore's Housing and Development Board (HDB) will conduct a trial of a smart parking system at Punggol Northshore.

This system, Parking@HDB, is the latest addition to the suite of smart features in the waterfront district, where smart-enabled Build-To-Order (BTO) flats have just been completed.

For a start, the trial will be carried out at one car park, PL80, said HDB in a press statement on Wednesday.

PL80 has 1,000 lots, serving the flat owners of smart-enabled housing precincts Northshore Residences I and II. Both precincts span 12 residential blocks with 1,402 flats.

Among the first four features to be tested is the seamless entry and exit. The car park will not have gantry barriers; instead, vehicle plates are registered via cameras.

In-app notifications will also be included in the trial. Motorists who park short-term will receive these alerts in real time for the start and end of parking sessions, and on parking charges incurred.

Those who park in an unauthorised lot will receive an automated alert informing them to shift their vehicles, if they have downloaded the app. They will face a fine if they do not remove their vehicles. Smart cameras are installed in the car park to detect motorists who park illegally.

Also to be trialed is the option to pay parking fees with credit or debit cards through the Parking@HDB app.

Parking charges will be automatically deducted when a vehicle exits, without the need for motorists to manually activate the app. This means they do not need to insert cash cards into the in-vehicle unit or worry about insufficient funds.

Moreover, the trial will include overhead colour-coded light indicators which signal availability of lots.

Other features will be introduced progressively, HDB said. For instance, based on usage data collected, the system will allocate lots to meet varying demands on a real-time basis.

Motorists who download and use the Parking@HDB app can park for free for their first three sessions at PL80.

HDB will later extend the trial to other car parks in the Northshore district in tandem with the completion of the BTO developments.

Residents and motorists are welcome to submit their feedback with HDB. Based on the trial's results and feedback, the statutory board will then explore the feasibility of implementing the smart parking system beyond Punggol Northshore.

HDB on Wednesday also announced that Northshore Residences I and II have been completed.

About 85 per cent, or 1,192, of homeowners at the two BTO projects have collected their keys as at Dec 14.

These flats are equipped with smart distribution boards and smart sockets, which help residents monitor their energy consumption, including for specific home appliances.

These built-in fittings also enable homeowners to more easily adopt smart home solutions. In other words, any appliance - lights, fans or coffee makers - that is connected to a power source can be controlled with a mobile app. The smart distribution board replaces the conventional distribution board in HDB flats.

Beyond the flat, residents can also look forward to more reliable estate services. Sensors will monitor and issue alerts when the maintenance of common amenities such as lights and lifts is required.

Estate management is expected to be more efficient as well, given new technologies such as smart lighting at common areas that adjust lighting levels based on human traffic patterns.

"The completion of the first smart precincts in Punggol Northshore is a major milestone in HDB's smart journey which started in 2014," said the housing authority's chief executive officer Cheong Koon Hean.

The two precincts are the first batch of smart-enabled BTO flats to be rolled out by HDB. Punggol Northshore is the country's first public housing district to test smart technologies right from the design stage.

"As HDB enters its seventh decade, it will continue to tap on smart solutions and adopt bold ideas to create the best possible homes for Singaporeans," Dr Cheong added.

What do you think of this smart parking system? Would you like to see this implemented in your housing estate? Technology have enabled us to be much more efficient and effective in our daily lives but this would also mean a trade-off, no more illegal parking and for delivery riders to tailgate into an estate to make a delivery (not that we condone this!). Let us know your thoughts and comments in the comment section below!