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There could finally be some relief for residents and shopkeepers near the Block 17 Upper Boon Keng Road Market and Food Centre who have been plagued by the traffic congestion in the area. In response to TODAY's queries, a spokesperson from the Housing and Development Board (HDB), which manages the two car parks surrounding the market and food centre, said it would be exploring with the relevant agencies the possibility of creating another access point to ease the congestion. It is also considering installing a display panel to show the number of vacant lots available at the various areas within the surface car park and the multi-storey car park, to help motorists better utilise parking lots and reduce unnecessary vehicular movement. The display panel is not a standard feature and is currently installed at only four other HDB car parks. "Meanwhile, as an interim measure, we are working with the (Electronic Parking System) service provider to deploy their staff to regulate the traffic condition during lunchtime," the HDB spokesperson said. The estate, which is surrounded by offices and factories, experiences strong demand for parking and heavy traffic, particularly during lunchtime on weekdays. It has only one lane each for motorists entering and exiting and a single access EPS gantry between Block 11 and Block 18. Lorries and vans delivering goods during that period also contribute to the bottleneck. Residents and patrons of the food centre TODAY spoke to said it can take up to 15 minutes to get out of the car park. A resident of 16 years in the estate, who wished to be known as Richard, was also concerned about emergency services gaining access into the estate. He said: "What happens if someone is sick or if there is a fire? There are a lot of elderly people living here and an ambulance can't be stuck for more than 10 minutes just trying to get out of a car park." The HDB spokesperson said it was aware of the situation and that it has also received various suggestions from residents to help ease traffic congestion. "However, these suggestions need careful consideration and may not all be feasible for implementation. For instance, some residents have suggested widening the road leading to the EPS gantry to ease the traffic bottleneck. However, based on our assessment, there are technical and site constraints which prevent us from doing so." Another suggestion was to implement a flat rate for parking or to raise the barrier and offer free parking during peak periods but such a move could cause "further congestion" as it encourages motorists to park their cars for longer periods, the spokesperson said. "The EPS system, which charges motorists by per minute parking, is more effective in increasing the turnover of vehicles to minimise the congestion within the car parks." In 2009, the EPS was implemented at the two car parks to "better regulate" short-term parking demand from visitors