Seriously, what is going on with the parking rates in Orchard these days? I had to run a quick errand at one of the malls near Somerset yesterday—literally just to pick up a click-and-collect item—and the moment I tapped my card at the gantry, I felt my soul leave my body.
You know that feeling when you drive into Orchard Road? It’s not a shopping trip, bro. It’s an extortion scheme. Entering a parking lot in Orchard Road literally feels like you are paying rent for a 2-room HDB flat by the minute. No joke, my wallet is crying inside my pocket right now.
Just now I drove into one of the malls near Somerset. The moment I pass the ERP-like gantry, the beep sound from my IU didn’t sound like a regular beep. It sounded like my bank account gasping for air. I swear the per-minute rate there can buy you a plate of chicken rice every ten minutes. Why is it so expensive?! We are just letting our car sit there on a piece of concrete, not renting a luxury suite at Marina Bay Sands!
And the best part? The parking lot design is another kind of nightmare. So tight, so narrow, it’s like they designed it for toy cars, not actual vehicles. You want to park, you have to do a 10-point turn just to get into the lot without scraping your rims. By the time you successfully park, you are already sweating like you just ran a IPPT 2.4km run. And guess what? While you were struggling to park for 5 minutes, the meter was running. That 5 minutes probably cost me two dollars already!
I went to have a quick lunch and buy one bubble tea. Total time inside the mall: maybe 45 minutes. When I insert my cashcard to exit, the screen show the amount and my jaw straight away drop. If I stay there any longer, I think HDB will come down and ask me to sign tenancy agreement for that parking lot already. Might as well just set up my bed, bring my pillow, and live in the lot. At least then I get my money’s worth. Next time, standard Singaporean style: I am taking the MRT. Don’t look at me, my car staying at home. CCB, so expensive for what!
Are the parking lots paved with gold? Are we funding a private space program for the mall management? It’s genuinely discouraging anyone from wanting to step into town. I’d rather take the MRT, but even then, the crowds on the weekend make me want to pay the parking fee just to escape the human crush.
Is it just me, or has the “Orchard Tax” hit a tipping point? Can we just normalize free parking for the first hour, or is that too much to ask from the retail gods? Rant over. I’m going back to shopping at my neighbourhood mall where $1.20 an hour is considered “expensive.”