Sharjah
I have been a resident of Al Ghuwair area in Sharjah for 14 years. Over the past few years, many residential and commercial buildings have been added to this area, which has made finding a parking spot very difficult for residents and visitors, even though it is paid. But, the biggest issue is that there are no dedicated parking spaces for the disabled.
In April, there were news reports about new guidelines regarding extended parking timings in Sharjah, from 8am to 10pm and during Ramadan, it is paid from 8am to midnight. These new timings apply to our area, too. On going around the neighbourhood, I counted at least 800 paid parking spaces, which were all filled with regular car owners, leaving no space for the disabled or those with special needs who require space for wheelchair movement and other support equipment.
Having a child with special needs, I find it very difficult to obtain a spot that allows easy movement for a wheelchair, and I find it inconvenient that dedicated parking slots are missing in certain areas.
There are some shopping districts located in Al Ghuwair area, including destinations for clothes, electronics, jewellery and even clinics, and I was disappointed to note that there are no dedicated parking spots for the disabled around these either, or any of the surrounding streets and main roads.
On some of the streets, the cars are parked in a haphazard manner because the parking lines have faded and motorists don’t seem to care about parking properly or causing inconvenience to others. In some spots, you cannot even open your door fully and getting out of the car becomes so difficult. How, then, can someone in a wheelchair disembark?
Manish Nawani, a marketing executive based in Sharjah’s Rolla area, has also come across the same issue. He has an 18-year-old son who requires a wheelchair and faces a similar dilemma.
He said: “It is almost impossible to find a parking spot. Even if I do find one, I have to carry my son out of the car and then set him down on his wheelchair, which has to be moved to the pavement separately. There are no dedicated spots or ramps connecting the buildings or pavements, making it difficult to navigate the wheelchair.”
He highlighted how there is a ramp leading from the road to his building, but a pole has been placed there by the municipal authorities, blocking access. This makes it difficult to move around in case of an emergency.
He said: “I sometimes feel so unhappy with the situation that I think about moving to another area. There are several clinics and pharmacies in the area and I have witnessed a lot of people and families with children in wheelchairs having trouble accessing them. One of the parents ends up waiting in the car, while the other takes the child in. This has even lead to arguments amongst people, fighting over the same parking spot.”
I request the concerned authorities to look into this issue and dedicate some parking spots to the disabled around the entire area. These are necessary! Positive action in this regard would be highly appreciated by all who are lesser privileged.
— The reader is an account manager based in Sharjah.
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Editor’s note: The reader’s concerns were raised with the management of Sharjah Municipality for comments. However, despite repeated reminders, they did not respond.
