Securing a parking lot can sometimes be very challenging so it’s no surprise to see drivers engage in a ‘space race’.
But finding open-air public parking will soon get easier with a new Smart Nation initiative that will allow drivers to check the availability of spaces before reaching a parking lot.
The smart sensors will basically provide real-time available of kerbside parking spaces to people looking for one.
This upcoming service was announced yesterday in Parliament by Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan during the Budget debate.
“This year, the Government Technology Agency, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Municipal Services Office will be trialling the installation of smart sensors so that we can provide real-time availability of kerbside parking spaces to people who are looking for a space,” he said in a speech.
The trial of this new parking service will start by end-June and will be held for six months at the street parking lots in Telok Ayer and Temple streets.
During the trial, motorists can find information on the availability of parking spaces in these streets via the URA website and the existing Find Parking module in the OneService app.
Depending on the trial’s outcome, the information on the available of street parking spaces could be included in the Parking.sg app later.
Parking.sg is spearheaded by PM Lee’s son and GovTech team, and lets motorists pay for public parking electronically and by the second.
Dr. Balakrishnan said the Parking.sg app is already gaining high traction and over 60 per cent of car owners in Singapore are already using the app.
Other Smart Nation Initiatives
He also announced the expansion of two other Smart Nation initiatives — Moments of Life and MyInfo — to address more citizens’ needs.
The Moments of Life app, which provides services and information needed by parents and caregivers of children on a single digital platform, will be enhanced to help citizens plan for end-of-life matters, and empower seniors to lead active lives, said Dr. Balakrishnan.
He added that SingPass Mobile, used to secure citizens’ access to e-government services like Central Provident Fund accounts and conduct transactions like filing tax returns, will be expanded to include the private sector.
This means traders can access their accounts with stockbroking or insurance companies using SingPass Mobile, which authenticates users by scanning their faces or fingerprints without needing any password.
During the Budget debate, some MPs asked if Singapore’s Smart Nation plans will continue to focus on citizen-centric services.
Dr Balakrishnan assured them that with the information gleaned from Singapore’s digital infrastructure, services will improve.
“In the coming years, with the data generated from our expanding digital infrastructure, we can expect services to become more personalised, more tailor-made to the individual needs of citizens, and to be more responsive,” he said.
Featured Image Credit: Mothership