UAE | Traffic and Transport

Cars on sale create parking nightmare

Residents of buildings housing showrooms of used cars on Airport Road are complaining about the lack of parking spaces as owners occupy the parking areas around the buildings to exhibit their cars.

  • By Mohammad Shamseddine, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:00 March 21, 2006
  • Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: Residents of buildings housing showrooms of used cars on Airport Road are complaining about the lack of parking spaces as owners occupy the parking areas around the buildings to exhibit their cars.

It is hard to find a parking space and often they are forced to park in the middle of the road behind their building, the residents complained.

Mubeen Ahmad, a 32-year-old salesman from India, said finding a parking spot is a huge problem.

"I can't find a place to park my car. The showrooms have taken the front and the back parking spaces of most of the buildings here," he said. "I sometimes have to park in the middle of the road at the back, very far from my house. They should move the showrooms outside the city."

Jean-Pierre Batte, a manager from France, said the authorities must take steps to solve the problem.

"It's not illegal for them to park their cars, they have permission from the municipality, but it is not fair to us," he said.

"They can always move to another place, probably outside Abu Dhabi. It's up to the authorities to do this job," he added.

Owners, on the other hand, agree with the residents on the need to move the showrooms outside the city. They said a car showroom compound must be built outside the city, as in Dubai and Sharjah.

Samir Al Qawasmah, a Jordanian car showroom manager, said they are aware of the residents' problems.

"We want to move outside Abu Dhabi, we prefer areas like Musaffah to do our business," he said. "It is up to the authorities to solve this problem, the area here is not suitable for car showrooms, but it's been like this for a long time."

Fadel Al Rabiha, owner of one of the showrooms, said the solution is to have a big place to display used cars.

Bumper to bumper
'I can't find a place to park my car'

Chock-a-block parking spots have been a source of trouble for many residents, one of whom said: "I can't find a place to park my car. The showrooms have taken the front and the back parking spaces of most of the buildings here. I sometimes have to park in the middle of the back road very far from my house. They should move the showrooms outside the city."

Showroom owners who display used cars in the open, too, want just that move outside the city. "Showrooms are our source of living, we have permission and licence from the municipality and we pay a lot for the licence, rent and insurance," said Fadel Al Rabiha, a 46-year-old UAE national and owner of one of the showrooms.

"I agree with what the residents are saying, it's their right to have a parking in front of their buildings, the place must be changed."

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