Meet the Mountbatten Parking Heroes!

“As someone who drives, sometimes cars parked illegally cause a disruption in the flow of traffic, especially along roads by HDB flats.” - Tan Kylyn, a member of Mountbatten Parking Heroes

Illegal parking has been an ongoing issue at Mountbatten. On top of increased noise levels caused by Bike racing along Tajong Rhu View, Tanjong Katong Road had also been experiencing inconsiderate parking that created hazards for other road users. So in 2021, the Municipal Service Office (MSO) and Mountbatten CC organised the “Love Our ‘Hood” programme, bringing together residents to brainstorm solutions for these issues

Meet the team

Determined to come up with a solution for a problem that’s close to home, a group of individuals of varying ages and different walks of life stepped forward – becoming the Mountbatten Parking Heroes! Comprising designers to photographers, and marketing professionals, to students and retirees — everyone in the team was ready to put their best foot forward for the community.

From left to right: Hafez Said Khan, Wee Kit Bian, Denis Malone, Ong Xiao Wei, Tan Kylyn, Aarti Naidu, Anupam Basak.

These heroes spent a year and a half together bringing the project to life, with one goal in mind: to create a solution that would curb illegal parking behaviour in Mountbatten. That begs the question, how did they do it? By starting on the ground. The team split into two groups (due to COVID-19 Safe-Management Measures) and spoke to residents and motorists who were parked illegally to better understand why they did what they did. One of the motorists mentioned that he was resting there because it was breezy and there were no signs around. Some residents also parked there at night to play football on the grasspatch with their friends. 

A uniquely Singaporean solution

“Excellent sketches with subtle fun parts to them carrying a big message” - Mountbatten resident

Together, the Mountbatten Parking Heroes team devised a smart, witty, and effective solution to deter humorous and quirky standees strategically placed to deter illegal parking. The standees featured illustrations of mascots holding up light-hearted messages such as; “You are being watched”, “Why you park here! Your grandfather road ah?”, “Park here to say hello to LTA officer”, and “Double yellow lines are here for a reason”.

They even set up a banner encouraging motorists to switch off their engines to prevent exhaust fumes drifting into apartments of residents.

A bumpy ride, but successful journey

As the planning and execution of the project was done amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, team members had to abide by safe distancing measures. This included organising and hosting meetings over online video conferences, and holding team meetings subject to the prevailing safe management measures. On top of that, the team also faced logistical challenges. With so many parties such as vendors, distributors and government agencies involved, who would act as a liaison? Who would produce the standees? Who would fund the project?

Thankfully, help came in various forms; from the MSO which assisted the team by coordinating across various government agencies. The ‘Love Our Hood Fund, a partnership between the Municipal Services Office (MSO) and the Our Singapore Fund (OSF) by MCCY, came together to help with the funding. The Peoples’ Association, which was incredibly supportive throughout the entire process, assisted the team with procurement, vendor quotations, disbursements, and more. Together they persevered, overcame the roadblocks, and saw the project through to fruition!

Community’s positive reception

Today, the public response to the project has been very positive — with many Mountbatten residents, the Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan, and even Ho Ching – voicing their delight with the project. Some even desired to see even more standees placed across the island. And it isn’t just empty praise. An MSO study found that after the launch of The Mountbatten Parking Heroes, the locale saw a 34.5% decrease in illegal parking cases from 2021!

Where can they be found?

The Mountbatten Parking Heroes team invites the public to visit and appreciate the standees in person. They can be found along roads at Mountbatten, Tanjong Rhu, Tanjong Katong Road, and Jalan Seaview. The banner addressing exhaust fumes can be found in Jalan Tiga.

Love Our ‘Hood: Mountbatten Parking Heroes, was one of the initiatives co-funded by OSF. If you’re keen on supporting other initiatives that better our society, visit www.sg/oursingaporefund.

Published on 22 September 2022.