Improvement Works to Resolve Traffic Congestion along Hougang St 21 Arising from Closure of Surface Carpark
To make way for the new Kovan Wellspring BTO project, the surface car park in front of the Kovan 209 Market and Food Centre was scheduled to be closed in end June 2022.
In January 2022, the hawkers and merchants were concerned that their business would be affected once the car park was closed. While there were other car parks in the area, they were further away from the Market and Food Centre. The merchants were also concerned about congestion at the other car parks and roads nearby, impeding delivery of goods.
In March 2022, a multi-agency taskforce comprising HDB, LTA and PA, was formed to address the issue. The taskforce gathered feedback from stakeholders and implemented these measures:
• Installed clear signages to direct vehicles to the new multi-storey carpark which started operating in May 2022;
• Improved traffic flow along Upper Serangoon Road by removing the U-turn at the traffic junction along Upper Serangoon Road before turning into Hougang St 21;
• Added an ingress road storage lane for vehicles to wait before turning into the multi-storey carpark to minimise potential traffic congestion at Hougang St 21;
• Increased the number of season carpark lots at the other surface carparks in the area to enable season parking holders to locate season parking lots more easily and reduce congestion within the carparks;
• Added loading bays at the other surface carparks; and
• Introduced free parking for vehicles at the new multi-storey carpark at Blk 229 Hougang St 21 on Sundays and Public Holidays
These measures have helped to mitigate the congestion issues. Agencies will continue to monitor the situation and work with the stakeholders to make further improvements where feasible.
