Abu Dhabi to introduce paid parking from July

Abu Dhabi: For the first time, motorists in the capital will have to pay to park their vehicles in commercial areas beginning this July, officials have announced.

The Department of Transport (DoT) announced the launch of 'Abu Dhabi Parking Management Programme' to tackle the acute shortage of parking spaces in the city.

The programme is designed to deliver immediate short term benefits for drivers, residents, visitors and pedestrians in key city centre locations, DoT said in a statement.

It will bring in new legislation and guidelines to regulate the use of both public and private parking spaces; tightening control procedures and rigorous enforcement. Parking schemes for residents will also be introduced.

Najeeb Al Zarouni, Parking Director at DoT, said: "The programme will address shortage of parking in busy city centre areas. It includes steps to stimulate change in driver behaviour; to discourage violation of parking usage regulations; to extend the number of parking places available; and to promote a fairer, more transparent system that favours residents and supports local businesses."

The plan is to develop parking facilities in identified 'hot spots', with new measures to improve traffic flow and increase the number of parking spaces and improving the standard of service for underground parking.

The decision to introduce paid parking was first announced by officials of the municipality in 2006, however the roll out was delayed. In 2008, parking meters were installed and dates were set but the project got further delayed as the DoT took over the responsibility.

According to official estimates last year, there are 71,000 parking spaces in the city, including 5,000 spaces in underground parking lots. However studies show that during peak times there is a need for over 100,000 spaces.

Motorists could pay for parking via mobile phones, credit cards or pre-paid smart cards. The smart cards can also be integrated with other payment and ticketing systems across the public transport network in future.