SINGAPORE - A man who complained that he was given a parking summons for stopping his vehicle at a service road in Punggol to help a woman in a wheelchair had left his vehicle unattended for at least 10 minutes, the Housing Board (HDB) said on Sunday (May 27).

This was unlike the claims Mr Max Tan had made of the incident on Thursday at about 12.30pm, in which he said that he had been away for less than two minutes.

In his Facebook post, which has since been taken down, he said that he had parked his vehicle next to Block 196A Punggol Field with the engine left running to help an elderly woman on a wheelchair alight from his vehicle.

He had taken her to the lift lobby, but later found out that he had been issued a summons by an enforcement officer.

The officer told him that it was an offence to park on the service road at all times, even with the engine running, after he tried to explain himself, he said.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, HDB said on Sunday that their findings showed that Mr Tan had parked illegally at the service road in front of the central refuse chute chamber for at least 10 minutes.

In addition, he had left his the vehicle unattended with the engine switched off, contrary to his claim.

"Service roads must be kept clear at all times to allow access for emergency and essential vehicles, such as ambulance, fire engine and refuse truck, to the housing blocks," HDB said.

"Illegal parking on such roads will impede the movement of these vehicles," it said, adding that enforcement is necessary to ensure that the service roads are free from obstruction.

HDB said that motorists who need to drop off passengers with restricted mobility can use the two loading/unloading bays near the block.

These bays have ramps that allow barrier-free access to the block.

HDB's records show that the two bays were vacant at the time Mr Tan's offence notice was issued.

HDB added that Mr Tan has not contacted it regarding the parking summons.

"Should he require assistance, he may send in his request via our HDB InfoWEB," it said.

In its statement, HDB also urged motorists to be considerate and abide by parking rules for the safety of all carpark users.

Meanwhile, it also clarified that parking enforcement officers here are not remunerated by the number of summonses they issue, in contrast to speculations online.