Abu Dhabi: Arab expat Hanif Abdollahi has already got three parking fines in less than two months. But this sales executive says he cannot avoid being fined as long as he resides in Abu Dhabi.
“This is life in Abu Dhabi. Find-ing a parking slot is a daily battle,” Abdollahi, 29, told XPRESS. “Be it on the Corniche, Khalidiya, Ham-dan or Airport Road, there are no vacant slots anywhere at anytime.”
Like Abdollahi, many Abu Dhabi residents are risking Mawaqif fines by parking in unauthorised places due to the severe shortage of parking spaces in the emirate.
“Last week I drove for more than 45 minutes looking for a parking space near the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank on Salam Street. I was so frustrated I finally left my car on the roadside with the hazard lights on,” Pakistani expat Rehman Malik, 47, said. A fine of Dh200 was slapped on him when he returned from the bank 20 minutes later. “Last year, I paid Dh2,600 only in parking fines,” added the businessman.
Never enough
Long-time residents say parking woes are only worsening despite the introduction of the Mawaqif paid parking system in Abu Dhabi in 2009. Currently there are 98,000 paid parking slots in the city, but that hardly seems to be enough. The Department of Transport is planning to create another 10,500 parking spaces by 2016. Five new multi-storey car parks are also in the pipeline.
