20 narrowest carparks in Singapore
22 Jun 2016|592,853 views
There are many things that frustrate us driving on Singapore roads, everything from the numerous ERP gantries to the inevitable peak hour jams on the Pan Island Expressway. But even at your journey's end, there are a lot of carparks in Singapore, both old and new, that want to challenge your driving skills.
We suss out 20 carparks in Singapore that are notoriously narrow and difficult to manoeuvre in. Admittedly, limited resources mean that we cannot actually take a tape measure to every single carpark in Singapore. Instead, this list contains carparks that have a reputation for being painfully narrow, but are still frequented by drivers due to other factors (one of the recurring ones seems to be that these are shopping mall or office building carparks).
1. Bukit Timah Shopping Centre - This small, old carpark barely fits two cars abreast, making going up to higher levels while another car is coming the other way a mightily harrowing experience. Also, the turn onto the exit ramp is a narrow and steep 90-degree turn, and its odd location would likely necessitate a three point turn.
2. Burlington Square - When there are even signs that have been put up to warn drivers of tight corners, you know this is a problematic one. Lots of pillars, ungodly turning radiuses, narrow lots, this one has it all. Add to that the fact that the pillars and sharp turns create a ton of blind corners, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.
2. Burlington Square - When there are even signs that have been put up to warn drivers of tight corners, you know this is a problematic one. Lots of pillars, ungodly turning radiuses, narrow lots, this one has it all. Add to that the fact that the pillars and sharp turns create a ton of blind corners, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.
3. Chevron House - Tucked down a side street in the heart of the Central Business District, the entrance to the carpark is deceivingly spacious. Once you venture in, though, the carpark immediately clams up, with the narrow and acutely angled ramps forcing you worryingly close to the walls.
4. Clifford Centre - Definitely not for the weak at heart, this incredibly narrow yet packed carpark has ramps that are tight and has high sidewalls on both sides, making it too easy to scrape a bumper. The acute angle makes its especially hard to see over your bonnet (kudos to the Ferrari FF and BMW 7 Series we saw parked inside).
4. Clifford Centre - Definitely not for the weak at heart, this incredibly narrow yet packed carpark has ramps that are tight and has high sidewalls on both sides, making it too easy to scrape a bumper. The acute angle makes its especially hard to see over your bonnet (kudos to the Ferrari FF and BMW 7 Series we saw parked inside).
5. Eastpoint Mall - The ramp to the upper ground carpark features two sharp bends in quick succession - not kind to long cars at all. This probably explains why while its neigh impossible to get a parking lot in the basement, the upstairs carpark is pretty empty.
6. Golden Mile Complex - An old carpark with narrow lots, it's not uncommon to see bigger cars parking between two lots. The dark, underground carpark features quite a few sharp turns, and the exit ramp takes you up a blind crest into the taxi lane. The acute angle of said blind crest, plus the hump at its peak, also means that cars with lower ground clearances can easily scrape their undercarriages.
6. Golden Mile Complex - An old carpark with narrow lots, it's not uncommon to see bigger cars parking between two lots. The dark, underground carpark features quite a few sharp turns, and the exit ramp takes you up a blind crest into the taxi lane. The acute angle of said blind crest, plus the hump at its peak, also means that cars with lower ground clearances can easily scrape their undercarriages.
7. Katong Shopping Centre - Another old carpark with narrow lots compounded by the fact that the pillars actually eat into the side lots. This basically means that the space drawn for three cars will basically only fit two, especially for Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs). Go figure.
8. Liang Court - A notoriously challenging carpark with tight turns, narrow lanes, blind corners and long sloping spirals, some contest this may just be the worst carpark in Singapore. Driving here can easily give you a headache with the endless spirals and seemingly lack of straight sections. If you reckon your driving skills are top-notch, we dare you to take a big seven-seater SUV through this gauntlet of a carpark.
8. Liang Court - A notoriously challenging carpark with tight turns, narrow lanes, blind corners and long sloping spirals, some contest this may just be the worst carpark in Singapore. Driving here can easily give you a headache with the endless spirals and seemingly lack of straight sections. If you reckon your driving skills are top-notch, we dare you to take a big seven-seater SUV through this gauntlet of a carpark.
9. OCBC Centre - The shallow parking lots mean that a lot of cars will jut out of their lots, eating into the driving lanes. As a result, trying to drive up while another car is coming down is a slow and tedious process, and the 90-degree turns compound this misery.
10. Orchard Building - Not only will the parking charges give you a heart attack, trying to negotiate through this carpark is an absolute nightmare. The up ramps from one floor to the next are at an extremely acute angle, making it basically compulsory to do a three point turn if you want to avoid scraping the walls.
10. Orchard Building - Not only will the parking charges give you a heart attack, trying to negotiate through this carpark is an absolute nightmare. The up ramps from one floor to the next are at an extremely acute angle, making it basically compulsory to do a three point turn if you want to avoid scraping the walls.
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11. Orchard Central - This is a narrow and spiralling carpark that forces you to go up at least five floors before you even begin to see carpark lots. Once you reach level five, the ramps between the higher levels are short yet narrow, making for delicate progress.
12. Peace Centre - Oh, where do we begin with this one? A dark and complicated layout gives the Peace Centre carpark a labryinth-like quality, and we definitely found ourselves lost a couple of times. Couple that with the narrow yet long entry and exit ramps, together with the crampness and claustrophobic feel of the carpark, and you will be in for an absolute driving misery.
12. Peace Centre - Oh, where do we begin with this one? A dark and complicated layout gives the Peace Centre carpark a labryinth-like quality, and we definitely found ourselves lost a couple of times. Couple that with the narrow yet long entry and exit ramps, together with the crampness and claustrophobic feel of the carpark, and you will be in for an absolute driving misery.
13. Shaw Towers - This carpark offers some of the cheapest parking in town, but maybe there's a good reason for that - the incredibly narrow entrance and exit mean that most drivers likely won't take the risk parking here. The carpark itself is also fairly narrow, with small lots that will not take kindly to SUVs.
14. Tampines Mart - This carpark is actually pretty spacious, but it has one major problem: When accessing the upper floors, the ramps are incredibly narrow and at a 90-degree angle, leaving you with very little room to manoeuvre. It is no wonder that cars can be seen waiting downstairs, instead of venturing to the higher floors.
14. Tampines Mart - This carpark is actually pretty spacious, but it has one major problem: When accessing the upper floors, the ramps are incredibly narrow and at a 90-degree angle, leaving you with very little room to manoeuvre. It is no wonder that cars can be seen waiting downstairs, instead of venturing to the higher floors.
15. Tampines Street 81 MSCP - The entrance and exit of this carpark are effectively like doing an 'S' course, only on a steep incline and completely blind. Extensive scrape marks on the walls and stretching the length of both ramps stand as evidence of the numerous victims claimed.
16. Tan Tock Seng Hospital - While the basement carpark itself isn't necessarily that bad, there is one particular exit that is sure to cause drivers problems. The Tan Tock Seng Drive exit has a narrow and long ramp that leaves you with way too little room one either side to drive comfortably.
16. Tan Tock Seng Hospital - While the basement carpark itself isn't necessarily that bad, there is one particular exit that is sure to cause drivers problems. The Tan Tock Seng Drive exit has a narrow and long ramp that leaves you with way too little room one either side to drive comfortably.
17. The Quayside - The carpark seems to have been built almost as an afterthought, with lots arbitrarily drawn in between the endless amount of structural pillars. Every corner in this carpark is basically a three point turn, regardless the size of your car. The exit ramp is steep and narrow as well.
18. Tong Eng Building - A narrow carpark with blind 90-degree turns into the up/down ramps, the layout of the carpark means its hard to see traffic when coming off the ramps. The old carpark design also means the EPS terminal at the exit is awkwardly placed in the middle of the lane, as opposed to at the downward ramp.
18. Tong Eng Building - A narrow carpark with blind 90-degree turns into the up/down ramps, the layout of the carpark means its hard to see traffic when coming off the ramps. The old carpark design also means the EPS terminal at the exit is awkwardly placed in the middle of the lane, as opposed to at the downward ramp.
19. West Mall - When entering the West Mall basement carpark, all seems to be fine and dandy. It is upon exiting that you notice the awkward turning angle onto the exit ramp. It also doesn't help that the upward ramp begins slightly before the downward ramp ends, making it harder to judge your turning circle. A massive gash on the leftside wall speaks to the acuteness of the turning angle.
20. White Sands - It's easy to be lulled into thinking this carpark is an easy one. However, the narrow lanes and sharp 90-degree turn on the entrance/exit ramps means that as you are exiting the carpark, if there is another car coming down the opposite direction, you will get perilously close to the wall.
20. White Sands - It's easy to be lulled into thinking this carpark is an easy one. However, the narrow lanes and sharp 90-degree turn on the entrance/exit ramps means that as you are exiting the carpark, if there is another car coming down the opposite direction, you will get perilously close to the wall.
Do you know of other frustratingly narrow carparks in Singapore? Let us know in the comments below.
There are many things that frustrate us driving on Singapore roads, everything from the numerous ERP gantries to the inevitable peak hour jams on the Pan Island Expressway. But even at your journey's end, there are a lot of carparks in Singapore, both old and new, that want to challenge your driving skills.
We suss out 20 carparks in Singapore that are notoriously narrow and difficult to manoeuvre in. Admittedly, limited resources mean that we cannot actually take a tape measure to every single carpark in Singapore. Instead, this list contains carparks that have a reputation for being painfully narrow, but are still frequented by drivers due to other factors (one of the recurring ones seems to be that these are shopping mall or office building carparks).
1. Bukit Timah Shopping Centre - This small, old carpark barely fits two cars abreast, making going up to higher levels while another car is coming the other way a mightily harrowing experience. Also, the turn onto the exit ramp is a narrow and steep 90-degree turn, and its odd location would likely necessitate a three point turn.
2. Burlington Square - When there are even signs that have been put up to warn drivers of tight corners, you know this is a problematic one. Lots of pillars, ungodly turning radiuses, narrow lots, this one has it all. Add to that the fact that the pillars and sharp turns create a ton of blind corners, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.
2. Burlington Square - When there are even signs that have been put up to warn drivers of tight corners, you know this is a problematic one. Lots of pillars, ungodly turning radiuses, narrow lots, this one has it all. Add to that the fact that the pillars and sharp turns create a ton of blind corners, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.
3. Chevron House - Tucked down a side street in the heart of the Central Business District, the entrance to the carpark is deceivingly spacious. Once you venture in, though, the carpark immediately clams up, with the narrow and acutely angled ramps forcing you worryingly close to the walls.
4. Clifford Centre - Definitely not for the weak at heart, this incredibly narrow yet packed carpark has ramps that are tight and has high sidewalls on both sides, making it too easy to scrape a bumper. The acute angle makes its especially hard to see over your bonnet (kudos to the Ferrari FF and BMW 7 Series we saw parked inside).
4. Clifford Centre - Definitely not for the weak at heart, this incredibly narrow yet packed carpark has ramps that are tight and has high sidewalls on both sides, making it too easy to scrape a bumper. The acute angle makes its especially hard to see over your bonnet (kudos to the Ferrari FF and BMW 7 Series we saw parked inside).
5. Eastpoint Mall - The ramp to the upper ground carpark features two sharp bends in quick succession - not kind to long cars at all. This probably explains why while its neigh impossible to get a parking lot in the basement, the upstairs carpark is pretty empty.
6. Golden Mile Complex - An old carpark with narrow lots, it's not uncommon to see bigger cars parking between two lots. The dark, underground carpark features quite a few sharp turns, and the exit ramp takes you up a blind crest into the taxi lane. The acute angle of said blind crest, plus the hump at its peak, also means that cars with lower ground clearances can easily scrape their undercarriages.
6. Golden Mile Complex - An old carpark with narrow lots, it's not uncommon to see bigger cars parking between two lots. The dark, underground carpark features quite a few sharp turns, and the exit ramp takes you up a blind crest into the taxi lane. The acute angle of said blind crest, plus the hump at its peak, also means that cars with lower ground clearances can easily scrape their undercarriages.
7. Katong Shopping Centre - Another old carpark with narrow lots compounded by the fact that the pillars actually eat into the side lots. This basically means that the space drawn for three cars will basically only fit two, especially for Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs). Go figure.
8. Liang Court - A notoriously challenging carpark with tight turns, narrow lanes, blind corners and long sloping spirals, some contest this may just be the worst carpark in Singapore. Driving here can easily give you a headache with the endless spirals and seemingly lack of straight sections. If you reckon your driving skills are top-notch, we dare you to take a big seven-seater SUV through this gauntlet of a carpark.
8. Liang Court - A notoriously challenging carpark with tight turns, narrow lanes, blind corners and long sloping spirals, some contest this may just be the worst carpark in Singapore. Driving here can easily give you a headache with the endless spirals and seemingly lack of straight sections. If you reckon your driving skills are top-notch, we dare you to take a big seven-seater SUV through this gauntlet of a carpark.
9. OCBC Centre - The shallow parking lots mean that a lot of cars will jut out of their lots, eating into the driving lanes. As a result, trying to drive up while another car is coming down is a slow and tedious process, and the 90-degree turns compound this misery.
10. Orchard Building - Not only will the parking charges give you a heart attack, trying to negotiate through this carpark is an absolute nightmare. The up ramps from one floor to the next are at an extremely acute angle, making it basically compulsory to do a three point turn if you want to avoid scraping the walls.
10. Orchard Building - Not only will the parking charges give you a heart attack, trying to negotiate through this carpark is an absolute nightmare. The up ramps from one floor to the next are at an extremely acute angle, making it basically compulsory to do a three point turn if you want to avoid scraping the walls.
11. Orchard Central - This is a narrow and spiralling carpark that forces you to go up at least five floors before you even begin to see carpark lots. Once you reach level five, the ramps between the higher levels are short yet narrow, making for delicate progress.
12. Peace Centre - Oh, where do we begin with this one? A dark and complicated layout gives the Peace Centre carpark a labryinth-like quality, and we definitely found ourselves lost a couple of times. Couple that with the narrow yet long entry and exit ramps, together with the crampness and claustrophobic feel of the carpark, and you will be in for an absolute driving misery.
12. Peace Centre - Oh, where do we begin with this one? A dark and complicated layout gives the Peace Centre carpark a labryinth-like quality, and we definitely found ourselves lost a couple of times. Couple that with the narrow yet long entry and exit ramps, together with the crampness and claustrophobic feel of the carpark, and you will be in for an absolute driving misery.
13. Shaw Towers - This carpark offers some of the cheapest parking in town, but maybe there's a good reason for that - the incredibly narrow entrance and exit mean that most drivers likely won't take the risk parking here. The carpark itself is also fairly narrow, with small lots that will not take kindly to SUVs.
14. Tampines Mart - This carpark is actually pretty spacious, but it has one major problem: When accessing the upper floors, the ramps are incredibly narrow and at a 90-degree angle, leaving you with very little room to manoeuvre. It is no wonder that cars can be seen waiting downstairs, instead of venturing to the higher floors.
14. Tampines Mart - This carpark is actually pretty spacious, but it has one major problem: When accessing the upper floors, the ramps are incredibly narrow and at a 90-degree angle, leaving you with very little room to manoeuvre. It is no wonder that cars can be seen waiting downstairs, instead of venturing to the higher floors.
15. Tampines Street 81 MSCP - The entrance and exit of this carpark are effectively like doing an 'S' course, only on a steep incline and completely blind. Extensive scrape marks on the walls and stretching the length of both ramps stand as evidence of the numerous victims claimed.
16. Tan Tock Seng Hospital - While the basement carpark itself isn't necessarily that bad, there is one particular exit that is sure to cause drivers problems. The Tan Tock Seng Drive exit has a narrow and long ramp that leaves you with way too little room one either side to drive comfortably.
16. Tan Tock Seng Hospital - While the basement carpark itself isn't necessarily that bad, there is one particular exit that is sure to cause drivers problems. The Tan Tock Seng Drive exit has a narrow and long ramp that leaves you with way too little room one either side to drive comfortably.
17. The Quayside - The carpark seems to have been built almost as an afterthought, with lots arbitrarily drawn in between the endless amount of structural pillars. Every corner in this carpark is basically a three point turn, regardless the size of your car. The exit ramp is steep and narrow as well.
18. Tong Eng Building - A narrow carpark with blind 90-degree turns into the up/down ramps, the layout of the carpark means its hard to see traffic when coming off the ramps. The old carpark design also means the EPS terminal at the exit is awkwardly placed in the middle of the lane, as opposed to at the downward ramp.
18. Tong Eng Building - A narrow carpark with blind 90-degree turns into the up/down ramps, the layout of the carpark means its hard to see traffic when coming off the ramps. The old carpark design also means the EPS terminal at the exit is awkwardly placed in the middle of the lane, as opposed to at the downward ramp.
19. West Mall - When entering the West Mall basement carpark, all seems to be fine and dandy. It is upon exiting that you notice the awkward turning angle onto the exit ramp. It also doesn't help that the upward ramp begins slightly before the downward ramp ends, making it harder to judge your turning circle. A massive gash on the leftside wall speaks to the acuteness of the turning angle.
20. White Sands - It's easy to be lulled into thinking this carpark is an easy one. However, the narrow lanes and sharp 90-degree turn on the entrance/exit ramps means that as you are exiting the carpark, if there is another car coming down the opposite direction, you will get perilously close to the wall.
20. White Sands - It's easy to be lulled into thinking this carpark is an easy one. However, the narrow lanes and sharp 90-degree turn on the entrance/exit ramps means that as you are exiting the carpark, if there is another car coming down the opposite direction, you will get perilously close to the wall.
Photos by Low Fai Ming
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