6,598 new parking spaces in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: Around 6,598 paid and unpaid parking spaces are now available in the capital city starting on Sunday, the Department of Transport (DoT) announced.

There are now 517 paid parking spaces located between Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street from the east, Al Bateen from the west, Delma Street from the north and Shaikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Street from the south.

More Mawaqif spaces are found between Al Karamah Street from the east, Al Khaleej Al Arabi from the west, Rabdan Street from the north and Safarat (passports) Street from the south.

Meanwhile, 5,440 unpaid spaces will be distributed between Shaikh Zayed Road from the east, Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed street from the west, Shakhobut Bin Sultan street from the north and Salama Bint Butti Street from the south.

The DoT stated that it will provide 10 parking spaces for those with special needs in sector E29, two in sector W20 and six others in sector W59-01. Individuals with special needs can apply for a special permit that allows them to use designated parking areas at any DoT Customer Care Centre.

Mohammad Hamad Bin Fahd Al Muhairi, general manager of Parking Division at the DoT, noted that the parking spaces are to help individuals gain easy access to events, especially in areas where the number of vehicles is especially high.

In fact, several tenants across the capital had complained about a lack of parking spots due to ongoing construction in specific areas such as Sultan Bin Zayed the First Street, popularly known as Al Muroor Road, and the Khalidiya area.

These problems were driving individuals with residential permits to opt for paid parking spaces, especially at night, due to the lack of empty spots in areas made for tenants.

“It is almost impossible to find parking here after 7pm. Renovation was recently performed on a small part near Khaleej Al Arabi Street and although the revamping was desperately needed, the new design has cut the amount of parking spots available by almost half,” a 60 year-old resident living near the Dana Plaza in Khalidiya area previously told Gulf News.