Built in the 1980s, Bishan (or Bishan New Town) may not be one of the earliest housing estates in Singapore, but it was the first whose HDB architecture saw a departure from the more brutalist designs of the past and featured more variation in height and design. 

Residents are primarily served by Junction 8, which opened in 1993. Now more than 30 years old, it remains the sole mall in the Bishan East area. Driving there? Here’s our quick review of the carpark. 

Manoeuvrability: Tight or not? 

It’s worth pointing out that this is a very old carpark (in today’s context), and it certainly shows. Lighting isn’t great, the overall space is quite tight (it was designed and built in a time of much smaller cars), and so manoeuvrability is generally not that great. And because there is two-way traffic, hold ups are to be expected, especially during peak hours. 

Also, entering the down ramp to B3 requires caution. It’s a full 180-degree turn, and into oncoming traffic (the lanes are not divided by any barrier of sorts). Take it slow, watch out for traffic. 

4/10

Ease of navigation: Confusing or not? 

It’s not a particularly confusing carpark, with clear signages to point you in the right direction. It also helps that it’s not particularly big and there’s one main escalator lobby, so there’s no real risk of getting lost. 

8/10

Lot availability: Crowded or not? 

There are 305 lots over two basement levels, so it’s not a particularly big carpark. And during peak hours, it will understandably get crowded. Thankfully, there’s a decent alternative nearby: atop the Bishan Bus Interchange. There are 561 lots there, though not all are covered, and it definitely gets packed during lunch hours.  

5/10

Cost: Expensive of not? 

From midnight to 6:00pm on weekdays, its $1.35 for the first hour, then $0.45 for every additional 15 minutes. That certainly racks up. And it’s similar on weekends - $2.65 for the first 2 hours, and $0.45 for every additional 15 minutes. Thankfully, there’s per entry parking of $2.65 after 6:00pm. For a heartland mall, it’s on the pricey side. 

5/10

EV Chargers: Can charge or not? 

Nope.

0/10

Motorcycle lots: Bike-friendly or not? 

There are only a handful of motorcycle lots available on B1. $1.30/entry, which is fairly typical for most shopping malls. Park at the next-door MSCP. 

2/10

Accessibility: Can find or not? 

It’s not actually hard to find, but actually getting to the carpark can be a slow-going. Access to the carpark is via two roads both named Bishan Pl, and both are single lane and with a traffic-light controlled pedestrian crossing, so traffic build up is quite common. 

6/10

Overall design: Good or not? 

The main issue with Junction 8 is just that it is old – the design is from a different era where cars were smaller, so in today’s context it does feel like quite a cramp carpark. Ingress and egress also can be challenging given the layout of the road, but there’s no real possibility of expanding those roads, either. There’s nothing inherently wrong with its design though – relatively clearly laid out and not too hard to navigate. Expectedly, it’s probably not that simple or easy to ‘upgrade’ the carpark. 

6/10.