Abu Dhabi: Residents have been urged to adhere to parking regulations as a new system to electronically monitor parking bays is implemented across the capital.
The Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport’s Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) announced that cameras will monitor parking bays, and violation tickets will be issued electronically.
In the first phase, the cameras will be installed across sections of Musaffah, Mohammad Bin Zayed City and downtown Abu Dhabi.
Mohammad Al Muhairi, deputy general manager at the ITC, said the new method will allow for parking compliance to be monitored over wider areas. It will also do away with the need to deploy parking inspectors in varying climate conditions, including the sweltering summer heat, in order to ensure that motorists adhere to parking regulations, he added.
Public parking in most areas of the capital has been paid since late 2009, with motorists having to pay Dh2 per hour for a standard parking spot between 8am and midnight, and Dh3 per hour up to four hours in a premium parking bay. Motorists have also been allowed to park near their residences without any additional payments, other than an annual fee of Dh800 for the first car and Dh1,200 for the second car per household. The ITC also unveiled dedicated parking bays for motorbikes this March.
Adherence to these regulations has so far been monitored by inspectors, who can clearly be distinguished by their turquoise vests as they patrol neighbourhoods in the city and place violation slips on car windshields. But the new system will be far less visible, with fines issued electronically to motorists.
“Parking inspectors have been known to be lenient in situations of real need, especially if I am still in the vehicle and am not blocking another car. With an electronic system, there won’t be an avenue for us to explain our situation, so things might just get difficult for regular motorists,” Mohammad Z, an Asian businessman told Gulf News.
Sarah Khan, a 27-year-old geo-modeller from India, however felt the camera-based system may be a good thing.
“If the parking violation and ticketing system is as rigorous as the UAE traffic tickets system, we would be able to see the exact details of when a parking ticket is issued. There will be actual data, and disputing a wrongful parking ticket would then be easier than it is now, when all of it is done through subjective accounts from the motorist,” Khan said.
The statement from the ITC also reiterated various considerations for the convenience of residents, including women-only parking spots within basement parking facilities, a free parking allowance for the first 10 minutes, and 45 minutes of free parking around mosques after each call to prayer.
