5 Narrow Carparks in Singapore You Should Avoid

(Photo Credits: Carbuzz)

Confined spaces - no one's friend. And it gets exponentially worse when you're behind the wheel of your prized ride. Tight spaces mean you are more likely to accidentally damage your precious car.

As cars continue to grow physically, existing carparks that are already challenging to drive in will get even harder to navigate. If you'd really like to negate the increased risk of kerbing your alloys or scraping your bodywork, perhaps considering avoiding the car parks we've identified below! 

Eastpoint Mall (The Upper Levels)

(Photo Credit: Eastpoint)

You can choose to park in the basement, or in the multi-storey carpark in this shopping centre. Despite the increased prevalence of pests in the former, many are choosing to stop their cars there instead. You'll see why in the video below:

The turns are nearly 90 degrees, and the narrow nature of the building structure means that turning without crossing over to the oncoming lane is nigh on impossible. There's also a seemingly endless onslaught of turns - a real bane for anyone driving a long car.

If you do not fancy potentially doing multiple three-point turns in your Toyota Vellfire then avoid the upper levels.

Golden Mile Tower

(Photo Credit: The Straits Times)

The food that they serve in this Thai ethnic enclave is a fitting reward for the hell that is the Golden Mile car park. Using the word 'narrow' to describe the entrance to the carpark is probably an understatement. The parking spaces themselves are narrower than you'd have come to expect too.

The car park is dark and the exit features a dangerous blind crest overlooking a taxi stand with a sharp turn at the end. A momentary lapse of concentration can see you end up hitting the side of another vehicle.

But then again, you'd have to cut this building some slack. There's enough space to manoeuvre your vehicle once you've entered the carpark. Also, this was built in a time where cars were significantly smaller - it is only logical that the larger cars of today don't fit as well!

OCBC Centre

(Photo Credit: SG Property Investors)

Navigating to OCBC Centre is difficult enough. But that's just the start of your headaches. With narrow lanes and endless corners, this carpark is no better than the one at Eastpoint Mall. 

But there's one thing that this carpark has that tops its Eastern counterpart - the fact that the noses of parked cars jut out onto your intended path of travel. Expect drivers to literally inch their way down the ramps, slowing to a literal crawl as they navigate their posh and relatively larger Continental cars through this CBD carpark.

We suggest you be alert when you're in this carpark. With blind corners and cars protruding out of their lots, you are always just centimetres away from potentially causing tens of thousands of dollars in damages!

Orchard Building

(Photo Credit: Street Directory)

As with most carparks in the CBD, where space is of a premium, the parking facilities at Orchard Building are what you'd call 'laterally-challenged'. What doesn't help the space, or to be more specific, lack thereof, is the relative lack of lighting too. 

Orchard Building's carpark is a practical application of the skills you picked up navigating the crank and 'S' courses back in driving school. At the bottom of the ramp, you are supposed to make a 90 degree turn to the left. 

The turn itself is tough enough, due to its sheer tightness, and is made even worse by the lack of a blindspot mirror. It is incredibly tough to look for traffic on the right as a result. Scratching up your bodywork or alloys should be the least of your concerns here; there is a very real risk of side impact too! 

Chevron House

(Photo Credit: The Straits Times)

Let's not talk about the experience of using the carpark itself. it is tough enough as it is trying to figure out where this carpark actually is. Located on the backroads of the CBD, once you do find it, you'll realise that there are other factors that will lead to even more frustration.  

For starters, we feel that the entry to the car park is riddled with unnecessary bumps and undulations - a nightmare for owners of all sports and lowered cars. The turns are ridiculous tight too.

The only reasonable explanation is that the carpark must have been an afterthought. The pillars are in places you'd expect them to be if this were a shopping centre and not a carpark. This haphazard placement, and little clearance between other cars and pillars, make it really difficult to recommend parking in. 

Putting It In Park

Of course, these carparks will be of no challenge to more seasoned drivers. But if you rarely drive, or have just gotten your license, perhaps taking the time to perfect your parking skills would be a good idea, before you let yourself loose in these carparks.

There are alternative parking options for those headed to the buildings in the list above. If you've already been unfortunate enough to have suffered some damage as a result of a misjudgement in a tight carpark, you may want to check out our Motor Directory - we have many trusted partners that can help reverse that damage!

Read More: 5 Car Parks With Terrible Designs

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