Wheel-clamping, S$218 release fee, for illegal parking at Woodlands Industrial Park even after a few minutes

SINGAPORE: Some people appear to feel that the clamping of wheels and collection of the S$218 release fee for illegal parking at Woodlands Industrial Park is a little too much, according to recent reports.

Many of those who have been caught and penalised are those who have parked in the area in order to obtain a Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP), which is required of every foreign-registered vehicle that enters Malaysia. Failure to do so means a fine of RM300 (S$90), and errant motorists are required to complete a registration for the VEP before they can leave the country.

While the scheme was announced last year, it was fully enforced only on July 1, 2025.

Singaporeans who have wanted to collect their VEPs from Woodlands Industrial Park have had a difficult time because of the lack of parking spaces in the area.

One woman, 47-year-old Ms Xiang, told Shin Min Daily News that she had an appointment at 1:30 p.m. last Wednesday (Aug 20), but could not find a space to park.

Concerned that she might miss her schedule and would need to come back again, she then chose to park near a car wash, at a red season ticket space.

However, when Ms Xiang returned after just 10 minutes, she found that her wheel had been clamped and that she had a notice for a $218 release fee.

She added that if the fine had been fifty or even a hundred dollars, it would not have angered her so much. But she also said that “regardless of how long the car is there, even if it’s just 10 minutes, a fine of $218 is excessive.”

Ms Xiang claimed that there were several other drivers who were similarly penalised at the same time she was, adding that she suspects that the personnel in the area could have been lying in wait for drivers who were illegally parked on that day.

There have also been complaints that there aren’t enough signs that clearly warn drivers that their vehicles will get clamped, such as a woman named Tiffany, who told the crowd-sourced news site STOMP last month that she had only left her car at a red season lot for four minutes until it was clamped and she was made to pay the S$218 release fee.

Moreover, the staff on the ground were not very helpful either, she added. /TISG

Read also: S’porean jokes VEP stands for ‘Very Expensive Penalty’ after $17k collected in fines in 5 days