Still Clueless

It's nice to see that the church is doing something about the parking situation mentioned in my blog entry a couple of days ago.

Unfortunately, even among the flock of the Shepherd, there exists black sheep:

"At about 5.30pm, the police were seen booking at least six cars belonging to parishioners. They were parked either too close to a junction, opposite a continuous white line, or in a way that would obstruct other motorists.

One of the car owners, who was fined $70 but not given demerit points, was livid. He said: 'I've been parking here for years, I may be a little close to the junction but I'm not in anyone's way.'"

I may be a little close? I may be a little close? What fuckin' score did you get for your Highway Code Basic Theory, may I ask? 5 metres away, says the Code.

"The man who wanted to be known only as Mr Pinto said he should have been given a warning instead of being fined."

Uh, wasn't the bad press from the disruption enough warning? The availability of extra lots? The urgings of the parish priest for people to park where they're supposed to? What other sign were you expecting? A plague of locusts up your butt? The Singapore River turning to blood? What?

Warning? Sheesh. Some people have no shame.

AUG 29, 2004
Church appeals for leniency for man who disrupted mass

Priests have visited man to apologise as church finds extra parking spaces in nearby school

By Tracy Quek

THE Catholic church at the centre of a parking row in Siglap has asked the police to be lenient to a resident who disrupted mass to complain about his driveway being blocked.

The churchgoer who reported the commotion to the police has also asked for the matter to be dropped.

Police would not say if it will do so, but the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (OLPS) in Siglap Hill is going all out to solve the parking problem.

It has found 50 extra parking spaces in nearby St Stephen's Primary and requested the police to patrol the neighbourhood on weekends.

Church wardens will now take photos, to be handed over to the police, of indiscriminately parked cars.

Yesterday, in a two-page letter to parishioners distributed during mass, the church said it 'empathised' with the resident 'over the frustrations he has had to experience due to indiscriminate parking by some inconsiderate parishioners'.

Still, some had persisted in parking where they should not.

At about 5.30pm, the police were seen booking at least six cars belonging to parishioners. They were parked either too close to a junction, opposite a continuous white line, or in a way that would obstruct other motorists.

One of the car owners, who was fined $70 but not given demerit points, was livid. He said: 'I've been parking here for years, I may be a little close to the junction but I'm not in anyone's way.'

The man who wanted to be known only as Mr Pinto said he should have been given a warning instead of being fined.

Overall, especially with the extra lots at St Stephen's, the parking situation yesterday was better than before. The roads were less congested, said parishioner Freddie Tan.

About 10 minutes before the 4.45pm mass started, all 160 lots in the church were taken up and wardens directed cars to the school.

A Land Transport Authority (LTA) officer and a church volunteer were seen taking down the licence plate numbers of cars indiscriminately parked along the roads.

At the start of the service, two licence plate numbers were flashed on screens in the church. The car owners were asked to move their vehicles.

During mass, Father Gregoire van Giang, the parish priest, told the congregation he was confident the measures taken will work.

He urged all church-goers at the end of mass to be considerate, noting that with the media reports over the last week 'all over Singapore, OLPS is very famous now'.

The resident who had disrupted the service on Aug 7 declined to be interviewed.

'It's just a problem between neighbours,' was all he would say.

Priests have visited him to apologise, after reading a report in The Sunday Times last week which said he could be jailed.

In a letter to residents, the church said it regretted the incident caused by a handful of 'recalcitrant parishioners' among its 9,000 members. It said it has done its best, over the years, to ease the congestion problem.

Residents, who meet LTA officials and church representatives today to see how the traffic situation could be further improved, said the letter showed the church was sincere in its efforts.

Madam Chow, a 31-year-old housewife who has lived in the area for 20 years, said: 'We understand the problem is caused by a few people, not everyone in the church.'