Dubai
We face an issue with people parking vans, minibuses and pick-up trucks on the pavement in the Al Mussalla Area, Bur Dubai. This is a cause for concern among the residents of the area.
When we park around them, these people end up scratching our cars with their vehicles. My car has been badly scratched with a key or some metal object. When confronted, they say that they have paid the landlord of the building for the parking, even though they don’t own the parking spots.
They have even installed poles as dividers to create their own parking spots. I have been staying in the same locality for the past 22 years and have never seen this type of behaviour. I even complained to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) officer in the area, but he said they cannot do anything, and we need to contact the municipality or the police.
Besides the above, these men sit on the pavement during the nights, play cards, make a lot of noise and leave litter behind. This is a concern for us as there are women and children moving around in the residential locality.
I was slapped with a fine of Dh2,400 one month for parking in the wrong area, which I paid. But, these men do not get fined. If they were fined, they would stop parking their vehicles here.
— The reader is based in Dubai.
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FACTBOX: The reader’s concerns were raised with both the managements of Dubai Municipality and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The RTA stated that this issue had to be raised with the municipality. But, despite repeated reminders, Dubai Municipality did not respond.
