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Built in the 1980s, Bishan (or Bishan New Town) may not be one of the earliest housing estates in Singapore, but it was the first whose HDB architecture saw a departure from the more brutalist designs of the past and featured more variation in height and design. Residents are primarily served by Junction 8, which opened in 1993. Now more than 30 years old, it remains the sole mall in the Bishan East area. Driving there? Here’s our quick review of the carpark. Manoeuvrability: Tight or not? It’s worth pointing out that this is a very old carpark (in today’s context), and it certainly shows. Lighting isn’t great, the overall space is quite tight (it was designed and built in a time of much smaller cars), and so manoeuvrability is generally not that great. And because there is two-way traffic, hold ups are to be expected, especially during peak hours. Also, entering the down ramp to B3 requires caution. It’s a full 180-degree turn, and into oncoming traffic (the lanes are not divided by any barrier of sorts). Take it slow, watch out for traffic. 4/10 Ease of navigation: Confusing or not? It’s not a particularly confusing carpark, with clear signages to point you in the right direction. It also helps that it’s not particularly big and there’s one main escalator lobby, so there’s no real risk of getting lost. 8/10 Lot availability: Crowded or not? There are 305 lots over two basement levels, so it’s not a particularly big carpark. And during peak hours, it will understandably get crowded. Thankfully, there’s a decent alternative nearby: atop the Bishan Bus Interchange. There are 561 lots there, though not all are covered, and it definitely gets packed during lunch hours. 5/10 Cost: Expensive of not? From midnight to 6:00pm on weekdays, its $1.35 for the first hour, then $0.45 for every additional 15 minutes. That certainly racks up. And it’s similar on weekends - $2.65 for the first 2 hours, and $0.45 for every additional 15 minutes. Thankfully, there’s per entry parking of $2.65 after 6:00pm. For a heartland mall, it’s on the pricey side. 5/10 EV Chargers: Can charge or not? Nope. 0/10 Motorcycle lots: Bike-friendly or not? There are only a handful of motorcycle lots available on B1. $1.30/entry, which is fairly typical for most shopping malls. Park at the next-door MSCP. 2/10 Accessibility: Can find or not? It’s not actually hard to find, but actually getting to the carpark can be a slow-going. Access to the carpark is via two roads both named Bishan Pl, and both are single lane and with a traffic-light controlled pedestrian crossing, so traffic build up is quite common. 6/10 Overall design: Good or not? The main issue with Junction 8 is just that it is old – the design is from a different era where cars were smaller, so in today’s context it does feel like quite a cramp carpark. Ingress and egress also can be challenging given the layout of the road, but there’s no real possibility of expanding those roads, either. There’s nothing inherently wrong with its design though – relatively clearly laid out and not too hard to navigate. Expectedly, it’s probably not that simple or easy to ‘upgrade’ the carpark. 6/10.

In 2023, Changi Airport was once again ranked as the best airport in the world. I suspect that’s also in no small part due to Jewel Changi Airport, a sprawling retail complex that features themed gardens, lots of greenery, and the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. Of course, you don’t have to book a flight out of Singapore to experience the wonders that Jewel can offer. You can simply drive there. (Or take a train. Or bus. Or Grab.) Manoeuvrability: Tight or not? There should be no issues getting around the carpark. It’s not particularly tight, lighting is excellent, and traffic flow is generally quite good except at super peak timings. The only slightly tighter section is one right turn nearing the exit gantry, but otherwise there should be no issue unless you are a terrible driver. 9/10 Ease of navigation: Confusing or not? It’s a very big carpark, and there is definitely a risk of ‘losing’ your car. Luckily, there are handy digital directories that will come to your aid – simply key in the digits of your car plate and it will show you your car’s location, and also provide directions to get you there. Otherwise, the other challenge you may find is actually knowing which lobby goes to where, especially because the carpark is connected to Terminal 1. Just a quick Internet search beforehand and you should be fine. 7/10 Lot availability: Crowded or not? There are 3 basement levels of lots, not including the B2 short-term parking floor. It’s huge – 2,500 lots. Yes, you may not be able to find a lot on B3 near your preferred lobby, but head down to the lower levels and lots are aplenty. 10/10 Cost: Expensive of not? $0.04/min for general parking (B3 to B5), which translates to $2.40 an hour. It’s on the pricey side, but hey, what’s the alternative? Other terminals? Same price. 5/10 EV Chargers: Can charge or not? There are 6 EV charging lots in Jewel (specifically, B3, Lobby C, parking spaces 207-212), which offer up to 22kW AC charging. For a carpark of this size, it’s actually not that many. More will (and should) likely be built in time to come. 6/10 Motorcycle lots: Bike-friendly or not? There are a decent number of lots available, though the actual lots are tucked away in sections of the carpark that are not so easily located. $1.30 per entry. 7/10 Accessibility: Can find or not? It’s Jewel. It’s the airport. Only one way in, only one way out. Just follow the signs. 10/10 Overall design: Good or not? Beyond the pricing, there shouldn’t be many complaints about the Jewel carpark. Its biggest issue is its sheer size, which can make finding your car slightly challenging if you have a poor sense of direction or memory. However, the available directories help solve that problem. 9/10

At 142,854sqm of gross floor area, Vivocity is the largest shopping mall in Singapore. And, it has an appropriately gigantic carpark to go with it. Manoeuvrability: Tight or not? Other than the slightly tight ramps getting into and out of the carpark, there should be no issues whatsoever. The carpark itself is generally quite wide, really big, it's mono-directional traffic throughout (and the 'lane' quite wide) and there aren't any tight corners at all. 8/10 Ease of navigation: Confusing or not? Now, the Vivo carpark can be confusing for a few reasons. Firstly, there are both overground and underground carparks - the underground one has two entrances, the overground one only one. The overground one is simple enough - not that many lots per floor (there are many floors though), but a basic rectangular shape. The underground one can be more confusing. It primarily stems from the fact that it is huge, and there are in effect two distinct parts that are connected by something like a loading bay area. There are also a ton of different lift/elevator lobbies (I distinctly remember the alphabets going up to K, but there's a photo below of Lobby L, so clearly even I underestimated 😵), so you would be wise to note down where you parked, or take a photo. One other thing - the exit signs are misleading. They aren't very clear and seem to be on almost every sign board, so you could end up going in circles trying to find the exit (especially towards the harbourfront side, I think). And the actual turn off from the main 'lane' to the exit is not immediately obvious. Overall, it's not the easiest carpark to navigate, and you could argue that it's perhaps a little too big for its own good. 5/10 Lot availability: Crowded or not? The carpark is huuuuuuuge, with over 2,000 lots available. Lot availability should never be an issue, though getting a "good" lot, now that's much more difficult. Vivo is typically crowded no matter the day and time, so getting a lot near your preferred lobby might be tricky. 8/10 Cost: Expensive of not? $1.60 per hour on weekdays, $2 per hour on weekends. Per entry parking from 6:00pm to 4:00am, then a weird $2.50 an hour from 4:00am to 7:00am. Not quite sure who's going to Vivo at those timings (guessing it's possible overnighters in Sentosa?). It's not cheap, certainly, but not obnoxiously expensive either. And let's be honest, it’s not like you have that many alternative choices. You could park opposite at Seah Im, but it's not that much cheaper, and I certainly don't think it's worth the extra walk. 6/10 EV Chargers: Can charge or not? 4 EV lots at B2, which seems shockingly few compared to the overall carpark size and density. Still, at least they exist. 5/10 Motorcycle lots: Bike-friendly or not? Plenty of bike lots, though it's worth pointing out that it can get pricey (for bikers, that is) if you park there for an extended amount of time. It's $1.20 for the first 3 hours, then $1.20 for every subsequent hour after. If you're spending a whole day at Sentosa (damn you Sentosa for banning bikes), then that adds up quickly. 6/10 Accessibility: Can find or not? First timers may be confused if trying specifically to get to the overground multi-storey carpark (you have to enter via Telok Blangah Road and go alongside the taxi queue), but otherwise it's not hard at all. 7/10 Overall design: Good or not? As a whole, the VivoCity carpark is quite friendly - lots of space. One or two things can be slightly tricky (finding your way to the correct exit), and you may take a bit more time to find your car if you can't remember where exactly you parked (because the carpark is so huge), but otherwise you should have no problems at all! 7/10 ~ Desmond

The Star Vista. Probably best known as the mall owned by New Creation Church. Being un-religious, I basically know it as the place where I attend a lot of concerts (most recently the fantastic Distant Worlds concert!). As an Eastie, there's previous little reason else to go all the way to Buona Vista for what is otherwise a fairly generic (upmarket) shopping mall. Manoeuvrability: Tight or not? Most of the carpark is generally not hard to get around, but there is one particular portion that’s tricky. When you come off any down ramp, there’s a tight, narrow and S-shaped section (snaking around a lift lobby) that can be tricky, especially for wider and longer cars. Just take it slow, and you shouldn’t have any issue. 7/10 Ease of navigation: Confusing or not? This carpark is pretty idiot-proof. The shape is not confusing, traffic is one-way, lots are clearly marked (the light on top indicates availability), there are lots of signs pointing you the right way, and overall carpark visibility is quite good. 9/10 Lot availability: Crowded or not? Star Vista is a curious place. On most days, it’s not going to be super crowded, and with over 800 lots available finding space should not be too hard. However, because of the Star Theatre, which hosts both church services on weekends as well as big music events, there are times when it can get very crowded. The peculiarity of the crowd surge is that because these events end at a particular timing and a lot of people are then trying to exit at the same time, traffic getting out can get quite bad. This is made worse by the fact that the up ramp filters into a single lane together with the cars on the upper level exiting, creating a bottleneck (it’s especially bad on B2 because one of the exit gantries is quite near said bottleneck). 3/10 or 7/10, depending on the day Cost: Expensive of not? $1.80 an hour from Mon to Sat, $2.30 an hour on Sundays. That’s slightly pricey. Not that there’s many other options around. The next-door Rochester Mall is slightly cheaper at $1.30 an hour, but obviously not as convenient. Worth noting: On Sundays and public holidays, full-day parking is capped at $10 (catering to the church crowd, I’m guessing). 6/10 EV Chargers: Can charge or not? There are 3 Tesla Superchargers there, but no ‘normal’ ones. So, it’s a bit tricky to answer depending on whether you are driving a Tesla or not. Tesla owner? Great. Any other EV? Terrible. 0/10 or 8/10. Motorcycle lots: Bike-friendly or not? Decent amount of lots are available, and at $1.08 per entry reasonably priced as well. 8/10 Accessibility: Can find or not? The carpark entrances are not hard to find. However, on event days, traffic towards the carpark, especially coming from North Buona Vista Road, is going to be heavy and slow going (there’s a single right-turning lane, which causes quite a back up). 7/10 Overall design: Good or not? Overall, the design of the Star Vista carpark is quite good. Bottlenecks happen, but that’s more to do with the nature of the crowd (big groups leaving at the same timing) rather than poor design. It would be nice if there were more EV charging options for non-Teslas, and yes it’s on the pricey side, but hey, it’s The Star Vista. You kinda expect things to be pricey. 7/10 ~ Desmond

Ugh. Nex. What an absolutely terrible place to drive to. Manoeuvrability: Tight or not? Narrow up and down ramps, lots are not very big. Poor. In-bound and out-bound traffic also mixes, so during peak hours its slowwwww moving. And because its narrow, once a person needs to enter/exit the lot, all traffic comes to a halt. And, let’s also not forget about the sharp u-turn on the second last floor before exiting. 1/10 Ease of navigation: Confusing or not? The carpark itself is quite straightforward, however getting into the mall from the carpark is less straightforward. Some floors have direct access, some don’t (Level 3a, and Level 3 on the not-Fairprice side). Also, depending on which floor you park, you might have to walk up/down some ramps to get to the lift lobby. 3/10 Lot availability: Crowded or not? There’s 450 lots, but considering the size of the mall (Nex is huge. Too huge), it’s always crowded. When we went at lunchtime on a weekday, there were 15 available lots. And a guy controlling (well, restricting) entry into the carpark. Boo. 2/10 Cost: Expensive of not? Price-wise, it’s okay. $1.40 an hour on weekdays, $1.50 on weekends. 6/10 EV Chargers: Can charge or not? Nope. 0/10 Motorcycle lots: Bike-friendly or not? There are some. Per entry parking. 6/10 Accessibility: Can find or not? Not hard to find. But during peak periods, traffic along Serangoon Link Rd (people queuing to enter the carpark) can back up to the traffic light and even beyond. 7/10 Overall design: Good or not? Rubbish. Considering the mall that it’s designed to serve, the Nex carpark is truly terrible. It’s too small, too narrow, too inefficient in handling traffic. Going to Nex? Park at Blk 264. 1/10.

We review plenty of cars. But actually, most cars spend more of their time stationary - i.e. in a parking lot. So, we thought it might also be useful (and kinda fun) to also take some time to review carparks. In fact, carparks are a function of urban design and architecture - separate but not independent of us as car users. The reality, also, is that carparks are not built equally (even building standards and statutes change over time). First one, then. Ocean Financial Centre, right smack in the heart of Raffles Place. Manoeuvrability: Tight or not? Generally okay. The carpark is built within an awkwardly-shaped space, so there are pillars everywhere and rows of lots in slightly odd angles. In general, it's on the narrow-ish side, but definitely passable for most modern cars. It accommodates big cars, as evidenced by the Alphard in the carpark, so towkay 5 Series and E-Classes should have no issue. 7/10 Ease of navigation: Confusing or not? Not too confusing. There are multiple ways to turn within the carpark, and there are also some dead ends. But otherwise, it's a sensibly laid out carpark with good signage throughout. It's also worth pointing out that there's no access back to B1 from B2/B3. You must exit, then re-enter. 7/10 Lot availability: Crowded or not? 220 lots available, and it's sort of crowded. It's CBD, so it's always going to be crowded on weekdays. But because it's so expensive, the public parking area is not going to be full (season parking is above ground, not underground), and lots are generally available on the lower floors. 7/10 Cost: Expensive or not? Horrifyingly. $1.20/10min from 6am to 6.29pm. That's $7.20 an hour. You'll be hard pressed to find more expensive parking than this (in the vicinity, the only more shocking one is The Sail @ Marina Bay at $4/hr). Even after working hour charges ($5.90/entry) is more expensive than you'll find across most CBD carparks. 0/10 EV Chargers: Can charge or not? Yes. There's one. Availability is probably going to be an issue, but at least a charging lot exists. 1/10 Motorcycle lots: Bike-friendly or not? No. Booo 👎 There are bicycle bays though. 0/10 Accessibility: Can find or not? Yes. Not hard to find, it's along Collyer Quay, just keep left from Finlayson Green. That general area is a traffic nightmare, but the carpark itself is very accessible. 8/10 Overall verdict: Good or not? It's a good carpark, if you needed to park your car (not motorbike) at Raffles Place - well located, fairly easy to negotiate, lot availability should never be an issue (unless you want to charge your EV). But god damn the price. 4/10