Opinions | City Talk
Parking woes at home and office a constant headache
You have circled the office building for the third time in a row and still cannot find an empty parking space, when you ask yourself the excruciating question: how long am I going to be here?
- By Mariam M. Al Serkal and Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporters
- Published: 00:45 April 27, 2008
- Image Credit:
- "There are ... no parking spaces ... in Sharjah. You ... double park ... and hope the police do not fine"Emad Chebli
Dubai/Sharjah/Abu Dhabi: You have circled the office building for the third time in a row and still cannot find an empty parking space, when you ask yourself the excruciating question: how long am I going to be here?
The all too familiar excuse of being unable to find a parking space can immediately draw sympathy from colleagues as many go through the same routine and end up late for work and at home for dinner.
City Talk took to the streets and asked residents how long it takes them to find a parking space near their home or office, and what do they think is the solution to the problem.
Rory Wallace, surveyor from South Africa, 28, said: "If you travel during the day it is a big problem. Developers are allowed to construct lots of buildings without sufficient parking because it is not profitable for them to do so, and they are allowed to get away with it.
"It all comes down to planning and more alternative means of transport is needed, like the Metro, but that will still not solve the problem because many people will be driving to the stations."
Arcel Josef, 32, from the Philippines, who works as a secretary, said: "It depends on the time. If it is during office hours then it is very difficult to find parking and it is better to arrive earlier than usual to the office just to make sure that you can find a parking space. You can also call up the office and tell them that you are looking for parking, so that they will know that at least you are not late."
Glenn King, a construction manager from the UK, 48, said: "Fortunately I do not have to worry about finding a parking space while I work because I mostly visit construction sites, and have my own parking space at my villa.
"But I used to face a problem when I lived in Al Barsha and had to park on sandy areas because the place was still under construction."
Businessman Fuad Ramadhani, 34, from Oman, said: "The worst is trying to find a parking space at government offices. As a public relations officer, I always have to go to government departments and it is horrible trying to park my car. The parking spaces there should be Dh10 per hour so that the availability will be limited to public relations officers and government employees."
Edna Torno, 48, a Filipina, said: "I roam around for at least half an hour before being able to find parking. At the end I usually end up parking several blocks away from my home because there is no other choice.
"The solution would be for all buildings to have underground parking, but until that happens the situation will be very bad in commercial areas."
Emad Chebli, a Syrian confectioner, 30, said: "There are absolutely no parking spaces available in Sharjah. You either have to double park or park the car near the pavement and hope that the police do not give a fine.
"There is no space in the city to build more parking, so the most practical thing would be to build multi-storey car parks for the public. That way whenever I have to go to work, I would not spend half an hour looking for an empty space to park my car."
Palestinian homemaker Mariam Fawzi, 39, said: "Finding a parking space takes about 30 to 40 minutes. I sometimes wonder how much petrol I waste to find parking near my home. But when I return from shopping, I settle only for a nearby spot."
Sudhakaran Thottin-gal, 42, a salesman from India, said: "It can take up to an hour while searching for parking near my home and more parking spaces are needed. It does not matter anymore if the parking runs by a metre or not because it is always full."
Mohammad Atta, 29-year-old front office personnel, Egypt, said: "While going to work parking is not a problem as there is a vast parking area. But once I return home the situation is different. Usually I hunt about one hour to find parking.
"One literally has to wait for someone to move their car out for a space.
"Also it depends on the time, during peak hours it is the worst. Finding parking on Thursdays and Fridays after midnight is a near impossible mission so I just leave the car anywhere and go home."
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