Source: Yong Hui on Facebook
A Singaporean man’s attempt to recreate car camping with his children at East Coast Park (ECP) hit a bump in the road when National Parks Board (NParks) officers asked him to dismantle his tent, sparking debate online over whether car camping should be allowed here.
Speaking to MS News, Mr Heng said he discovered the joys of car camping while in Japan.
Car camping involves camping around your car rather than away from it, sometimes involving a tent set up connected to the vehicle.
Source: Yong Hui on Facebook
The father of five explained that he had tried to look into legal spots for car camping in Singapore, intending to spend quality time with his children during the Youth Day school holiday.
Finding details lacking online, he decided to test the waters at an ECP carpark.
Source: Google Maps
On 7 July, Mr Heng pulled into the carpark at 7.30am. He spent around an hour setting up a large blue tent connected to the open rear of his car.
“Engine was [switched] off at all times,” he stated in his Facebook post.
Source: Yong Hui on Facebook
Before he could relax with his children in the tent, two NParks officers arrived and stopped him.
They informed him that carparks were not designated camping areas, citing safety concerns with vehicles moving around. Additionally, he required a camping permit to camp at ECP.
NParks thus told Mr Heng to take down his tent, which he complied with.
He expressed no anger towards them, telling MS News that the officers were “just doing their job”.
“I hope NParks can provide more options for safe car camping in the future,” Mr Heng said.
Mr Heng explained that car camping was a good way for a large family to bond and play without spending too much money.
He noted that pitching a tent on a designated spot would be “fun” but logistically difficult with his five children, given that his eldest was still in primary school.
Source: NParks
Due to this, he took to social media to ask if there were any legal spaces in Singapore where he could pursue his car camping hobby.
The story split online users. One user didn’t understand why NParks stopped him, as they didn’t see any harm in a family quietly spending time in a tent by their car.
“If it was just for leisure, a picnic, or spending time with family, what’s the harm?” they opined.
Source: Instagram
Another netizen complimented the car camping idea but agreed with NParks, saying, “Imagine if all cars parked there have this.”
Source: Facebook
Several commenters also suggested he try car camping across the Causeway.
According to the NParks website, camping is only permitted at designated areas in certain parks:
For East Coast Park, the designated locations are Areas D and G, except Cyclist Park. As such, camping is not allowed at any carpark.
Additionally, members of the public must apply for a valid camping permit at least two weeks before.
They can do so online using Singpass or from any AXS station.
Also read: Cat gets stuck in tree at East Coast Park, crowd attempts rescue by shaking tree branch & meowing
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Featured image adapted from Yong Hui on Facebook.