Search the Community

I posted an article on MCF on the parking charges at MacRitchie Reservoir slight more than a year ago (http://www.mycarforum.com/blog/myautoblog/160/welcome-to-macritchie-reservoir-to-pay/). My running buddy told me that there were some amendments made to it and I decided to do some research. The extracted information from sgcarmart.com shows that the 1st hour of parking from 11am to 5pm is free during weekdays; and the 1st hr of parking from 2pm to 5pm is free on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Well, this is a welcomed amendment made but I am not sure of the purpose of it. I believe the change is to attract more visitors to the park and at the same time, deter non-park users from taking advantage of the free parking. If that is the case, the change is not very effective. It would be better if the period of 1st hour of free parking on all days is from 7am to 10am & 5pm to 8pm. Very few people would go to the park and be under the mercy of the sun between 11am to 5pm and 2pm to 5pm. My suggestion would benefit people who wants to do their morning or evening workout. Of course, it would be a bonus if the free parking can be extended to 2 hours. I hope that the relevant authorities read this posting and make the necessary adjustment.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning and I was heading to MacRitchie Reservoir (MR) for a good run. As I was driving into the carpark, I was unpleasantly surprised to be greeted by a saluting gantry. MR is a beautiful park where families like to go for a weekend stroll. I am not sure why National Parks (NPs) decide to charge for parking now as the renovated carpark was free of charge all along. The probable reason could be that NPs is trying to recover the cost of renovating the toilet and drop-off point area. I believe that some families would think twice about spending a weekend at MR now. From what I can observe that morning, the carpark occupancy easily dropped about 20%. Referring to the parking charges below, even Sunday parking is chargeable. I hope that the relevant authorities can reconsider making Sunday parking free of charge (like Lower Pierce Reservoir) to encourage families to come together and enjoy a healthy activity at the park. I paid about $3.10 for parking at MR on that Saturday morning, which could have bought me a decent meal at a hawker centre. Going forward, running at MR shall become a rarity for me....