Parking spots needs to be clearly marked

Sharjah

Parking has always been a tedious job, especially in Sharjah. We have been living in the Al Musallah area of Sharjah for almost three years. My mother has a parking card, which gives her permission to park anywhere in Sharjah.

A few months ago, when my mother parked in an area that was considered a parking space for a long time, she received a traffic fine citing that she had parked in a no-parking area, or an area marked with yellow lines.

When the parking spot is closely observed, it can be seen that while there are yellow lines, there are also white lines that indicate that it is a dedicated parking spot (as seen in photograph). If it was considered a parking spot for the past two to three years, then why the sudden change? Additionally, why isn’t it clearly marked as a no-parking zone so that motorists do not mistake it for one?

Action taken

When my mother raised a complaint with the Sharjah Municipality, prompt action was taken by them. My mother was not provided with a refund, but the parking spot has now been marked clearly with the use of white lines. I appreciate the concern shown by the municipal authorities towards the convenience of the motorists. I am happy that further confusion can now be avoided.

Other problems

However, this is not the only problem faced by motorists while parking. There are certain vehicle shops, such as the car accessories shops, which do not allow a car to be parked in front of their shops in fear that their customers will not find a place to park their cars. They have no right to prevent a motorist from parking their vehicle there if the shops don’t have any sign showing that it is a reserved spot. I request these shop owners either to allow a person to park there or else go to the municipality and reserve the spot.

— The reader is a student based in Sharjah.

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FACTBOX:

The reader’s concerns were raised with the Sharjah Municipality. They immediately investigated the issue and sent a response to Gulf News.

They stated: “Sharjah City Municipality would like to assure the concerned reader that it makes every possible effort to maintain the good condition of the parking lots all over Sharjah city, and to ensure they are well paved and clearly marked all the time. Nevertheless, we advise the reader that if he believes the fine to be unfair, he should submit a request through the municipality’s hotline 993, or via the fine challenge e-service on our website and provide the required details. The fine will be removed if proved by investigation to be unfair.”