Sharjah to impose public parking fees in Kalba

Sharjah: Public parking in Sharjah emirate’s Kalba city will become paid from February 1.

The Municipality of Kalba, in coordination with the Municipality of Sharjah City, said the move aims to regulate parking and reduce its misuse in light of the developmental boom that Kalba is witnessing.

Dr Ahmed Saeed Al Mazrouei, Director of Kalba Municipality, said the city is seeing an increase in projects, which is attracting tourists and increasing demand on parking spaces.

Al Mazrouei explained that subjecting public parking to fees limits their misuse, which had reduced the opportunity for visitors from outside the city to find parking.

Al Mazrouei indicated that the public parking system will be in effect from 8am to 10pm, and it will be free on Fridays and on official holidays, except for paid parking areas throughout the week which can be identified by the blue informational signs.

Obaid Saeed Al Tunaiji, Director-General of the Sharjah City Municipality, said that 6,000 parking spaces in the city of Kalba will be subjected to fees following a survey of all areas.

He added that five large boards were installed to indicate the area’s fee imposition and service times, 150 smaller boards were installed in various areas, and 68 devices for coin payment were provided. He also mentioned that other payment methods were made available, including SMS service, the Sharjah Digital app, the Mawaqif app, and prepaid cards.

He also pointed out that fees in the Hanging Garden tourist attraction will be Dh10 per hour - previously it was Dh5.