Abu Dhabi: The first multistorey car park equipped with charging stations for hybrid vehicles in the capital’s Al Dana area behind Fatima Bint Mubarak and Al Falah streets is now open for people, officials said.
The three-storey underground facility can also inform users of space availability in real time through a Department of Transport’s (DoT) Darb smartphone application, they said. Built at a cost of Dh120 million, the facility, which took three years to finish, can accommodate up to 726 vehicles and has round-the-clock security surveillance.
“By the summer, all of Abu Dhabi’s car parks will be connected to Darb app, providing users with real-time information on the number of spaces available in order to save them time and effort in looking for a spot. The structure is also family-friendly and contains a play area for children,” Mohammad Hamad Bin Fahd Al Muhairi, general manager of Mawaqif Division, told Gulf News at the opening ceremony.
He said charging stations for hybrid vehicle have been set up to encourage residents to use these vehicles.
The facility was inaugurated by Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, chairman of DoT. The parking bays will also serve nearby residential buildings, commercial centres and the Ministry of Finance and Department of Economic Development employees and visitors.
The new facility also provides access for individuals with special needs, in addition to ladies’ only parking bays
Residents living in the area previously complained of the large number of vehicles visiting the various government and commercial buildings nearby which left no parking spaces for them.
Another multistorey park had opened earlier adjacent to the new structure accommodating around 300 vehicles although that step was not enough to alleviate parking woes. In November last year, Mawaqif announced setting up 5,400 unpaid parking spaces between Shaikh Zayed Road from the east, Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street from the west, Shakhbout Bin Sultan Street from the north and Salama Bint Butti Street from the south.
The tariff in the newly opened facility will remain the same at Dh2 per hour near turquoise and black pavements and Dh3 per hour near white and white and black pavements as will the fee to be paid in case of any violations.
- With inputs by Aseel Lulu, a trainee at Gulf News
Darb app
Parking sensors connected to the Darb application will provide motorists with data on the number of vacant parking spots in the MSCP. This aims to reduce road congestion while facilitating the ease of locating a parking space.
Darb is free for use on Android and iPhone and is available in Arabic and English.
Darb provides the customer with live data on traffic conditions, traffic incidents and road work in Abu Dhabi in addition to real time bus information at the nearest bus stops and access to current airport information including departure, arrivals and parking.
The customer can also select a route from his current location to a desired destination using the on screen map and chose to receive either the shortest distance route or the fastest route. Booking a taxi and paying for on-street parking is also available.
-Source: DoT
