STOMPer Chia Howe and his parents could not drive into their own home because another car was parked outside it. Despite calls made to several departments, help did not arrive until over an hour later.

Wrote the STOMPer:

I am writing in as I am very upset at what happened today, and what I had to go through for 1 hour and 30 minutes from 6.15pm to 7.45pm on Septemeber 22.

"Today after having dinner, I drove home with my parents to our house situated at Tembeling Road. When we reached our house, we were unable to turn into the house as there was a car parked right outside our house.

"After sounding the horn for 10 minutes, I called LTA and requested for help and highlighted the urgency needed for someone to come clear the path for us to get into the driveway. We waited about 20 minutes before calling again and speaking to the same person who said he will call the person again and state the urgency.

"After another 40 minutes had passed, no one came and we were still stuck outside unable to drive in! My dad called the police and someone said he will direct us to Marine Parade police post and help us get them to help.

"We called the police post to check if any request was put through to help us. The response was shocking but expected. The person who picked up the call specifically said it was not their deptartment's duty to help and asked us to call LTA. We told him if LTA could help we would not have sought the help of the police!

"After that I decided to seek other alternatives by calling 1800-547 1818. Surely they could help as it is the traffic holine and Traffic Police should be of some help in this kind of matter. When we called in, a woman said it is not their department's responsibility and that we should call LTA. Her tone was obviously quite annoyed that we were seeking her help and not LTA's.

"She told me she had already called LTA and they are on the way there. Come on! Did she really call in that short 1 to 2 minutes during which she said she would help me? And if she really did help, where are the personnel that LTA sent down but did not arrive till 7.45pm. Again it shows here clearly that everyone is not willing to get involved while my family and I are suffering due to some inconsiderate people who parked outside our house!

"We just want to go home and yet everyone from different departments claims it is not their responsiblity and LTA personnel came so late in helping us.
 
"Finally the people who owned the car (an uncle possibly in his late 60s with 2 women) parked outside our house arrived in another car. The man claimed his car had broken down and what can he do! We said he could actually push the car to one side and not park the car park right ouside of someone's residence and just leave to get help!

"They poured in some petrol and drive off, which means the car was out of fuel and had not broken down, as they had claimed their claimed. Before they left they confronted us as we told them we have made report and asked them not to leave. The old man say he did not care if we had made a police report and they proceeded to drive off with both the car>

"And to top off the miserable night, the LTA dispatch came just 3 minutes after they left! Dramatic or not? We waited 1 hour since the first call was made to LTA at approximately 6.26pm, and he arrived at 7.45pm which that was almost 1 hour and 20 minutes of waiting time!

"The LTA operator told us it normally taked 30 to 40 minutes for their response timing but 1 hour 20 minutes? I proceeded to take down the details of the dispatch asking him what time the operator called him, and he told me 6.40pm.

"Why was there even a 15 minutes lapse when we stated the urgency!
 
"Why do I need to go through all the hassle to see how responsibility is being diverted when all we citizenss just need is someone to come and help us. LTA wants me to go through the proper procedure to file a complain officially by filling up a form. Why do I have to do all these unnecessary things when it is the inefficiency of the people we had contacted for help that caused us the problem? 
 
"I hope I do not need to filll in any forms and an explanation will be provided."