UAE | Traffic and Transport
Paid parking waiting for green light
Abu Dhabi Municipality is all set to launch its new paid parking system but is waiting for the green light from the higher authorities, said an official.
- By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:28 August 24, 2008
Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Municipality is all set to launch its new paid parking system but is waiting for the green light from the higher authorities, said an official.
The parking management system has already been put in place at a cost of Dh1 billion.
"We are all set to start the system immediately," a senior official told Gulf News.
The municipality appointed the London-based parking management company NCP to roll out a customer-friendly parking management system. Hailed as the most integrated parking management project in the world by industry experts, the system offers a wide range of payment methods enabling users to "pay as you go".
"Currently on-street parking is largely free and unregulated, but the increase in car ownership means that on-street parking spaces are now oversubscribed by 40 per cent. As a result, road safety is severely compromised by dangerous parking and congestion is rapidly increasing," said the NCP in a press statement, pointing out the fact that the vehicle fleet in the city has more than doubled since the start of the century.
Demand
The city is estimated to have about 70,000 parking spaces in commercial areas, while demand reaches over 100,000 at peak hours. Although paid underground parking facilities exist, only about 25 per cent of these are used as on-street parking is free.
Earlier this year, Juma Al Junaibi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Municipality, said in an interview that 2,500 parking meters were being installed in the city as part of the new Parking Management Programme (PMP).
The project spans ten phases, each phase three months long. The first phase will cover four sections around Hamdan Street (Fifth Street) and Khalifa Street (Third Street). The area around Al Gaith Tower, the Next store and Al Noor Hospital will be where the parking toll begins.
The system allows users to pay for parking by using mobile phones, coins or cards. Asides from dirhams all GCC currency can be used. Cards could be credit cards, prepaid cards or Etisalat cards.
Alternatively, residents can procure a "virtual permit." A resident can visit a dedicated website and apply for a virtual parking permit after they produce proof to show the sector in the city where they live.
Will the paid parking system help ease the parking problems faced by residents? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form bellow to send your comments.
Your comments
As long as it is affordable, then we could say that it will ease our parking burden.
Dexter
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: August 25, 2008, 11:29
I live in Sharjah, behind Mega mall, for the past three years and am suffering from commercial cars which park under my building, and if by chance I find an empty space to park, they will come to me to say that the municipality approved for them to park their cars and they paid 3000 AED for each car.
Mohamed
SHARJAH,UAE
Posted: August 25, 2008, 10:35
Mere parking fee is not going to solve the issue in Abu Dhabi. What will happen if a person pays the fee and park on the road. It is still legal. So, the authorities have to take steps to avoid parking on the roads, as in Dubai. In Dubai if a vehicle is parked on the road either it is towed to police station or a big ticket will be placed under the wiper. This is how the parking is regulated in Dubai. Abu Dhabi Municipality can also implement this instead of charging.
Moses
Abu dhabi,UAE
Posted: August 25, 2008, 10:30
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