Scrap picking versus car parking

An interesting situation occurs on Hamdan Street, behind Al Mariah Cinema and Abu Dhabi Cooperative.

A crew of four people starts early in the morning and works late into the night. They collect any scrap paper, cardboard or metal and tie them into bundles to be sold to scrap dealers.

They comb a large area from Salam Street to Muroor Road and from Corniche to Electra Street for any piece of scrap cardboard or metal, using bicycles to transport them back to the accumulation point.

The paper piles grow longer and bigger as the day goes on. Definitely, their hard work to earn a livelihood, not to mention the additional advantages of recycling, must be appreciated.

However, in parking space-starved Abu Dhabi, this scrap paper collection spot has deprived residents of what could have been a better organised parking space, not to mention the congestion it causes due to double-parking.

This entire parking area is capable of having four diagonal parking rows and could accommodate at least another 15 vehicles, if the piles were moved elsewhere.

Additionally, there is a safety aspect to consider, too. A number of cars are always parked very close to this paper pile. An accident is just waiting to happen, as a carelessly tossed cigarette near this dried paper pile would be bound to transform this spot into a huge car bonfire!

These men have been requested quite a few times to move their scrap to a more suitable place between Al Mariah Cinema and the cemetery wall, which is just a minute away from the current location and has no danger of cars being parked close by.

While this move would clear the congestion, it would also allow the scrap-pickers to carry on their trade. A win-win situation for all, but somehow the scrap pickers are not convinced to move and maintain that the Municipality has allotted this space to them with a license to operate here - which is doubtful.

We don't want these people to lose their trade but at the same time would like to properly utilise the parking space available and avoid any possible fires waiting to happen.

Could the authorities help persuade the scrap traders to move to a safer location?

The reader is an Abu Dhabi-based engineer.