I refer to Madam Low Li Li's letter, "Private estate residents treating roads as private parking space" (Dec 23), and the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) response, "Good parking etiquette key to safe, accessible roads in private estates" (Dec 27).

I believe that Madam Low's suggestion to introduce paid parking is the best solution to the problem.

Parking on the road in private housing estates causes obstruction, restricting the road capacity to a single lane. I have often seen a rubbish truck having to reverse several hundred metres as there was no space for it to turn around.

Perhaps a resident is too lazy to open his front gate to drive in, wants to have more driveway space or owns more than one car. Whatever the reason, parking on the road inconveniences neighbours and passing traffic.

I have observed how, after LTA painted a single continuous white line dividing a road, the street parking miraculously disappeared. So it appears that residents are able to park within their own property when forced to do so, and this should perhaps be done for more roads to benefit the public.

However, paid parking spaces, as suggested by Madam Low, would be even more effective.

Peter Arnold

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-single-white-line-a-good-way-to-deter-street-parking-in-private-estates