'Like going to JB': 100 vehicles trapped for 3 hours inside Chinatown carpark

With Chinese New Year less than two weeks away, crowds of people have started streaming into Chinatown to pick up festive goods or to soak up the atmosphere.

And there was certainly a hive of activity along Upper Cross Street last Saturday (Jan 7) night, where around 100 irritated drivers took turns honking in frustration while trapped inside a multi-storey carpark for some three hours.

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, one of the drivers, surnamed Hong, shared that he was about to drive out from the parking space on the sixth floor of the car park at 8.30pm.

Describing how he had spent the day shopping with his wife, the 64-year-old said: "It may be a Saturday, there were many cars parked there."

But he was greeted by a long queue of stationary vehicles in front of his car, Hong said, adding that he went downstairs to check after "waiting for a while".

It turns out that the gantry barriers at the car park's exit on the ground floor had malfunctioned, leaving 100 vehicles trapped inside the building.

Frustrated with the hold up, Hong shared that several drivers in the queue lost their patience and began honking their vehicles, and it went on for nearly two hours.

It was not until 11.30pm when the gantry barriers started working again, according to Hong.

"I waited for three hours before I could go out. It was almost like going to Johor Bahru after clearing customs," he said.

Other drivers here have had their fair share of experiences with jams recently.

In July last year, a parking dispute caused a 20-minute gridlock at a popular supper place near Beauty World Centre.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News then, an eyewitness shared that two drivers - a man and a young mother - got down from their cars along Cheong Chin Nam Road and began arguing.

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The police were eventually called in to deal with the stalemate situation.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com