Pavement parking irks pedestrians

In the Tourist Club area of Abu Dhabi there are spacious pavements which are actually present to benefit pedestrians. However, most motorists have begun using the pavement as a parking lot.

Especially during the night, motorists who return home late have no consideration for others. They do not even bother looking for a parking space and illegally park on the pavement instead.

Families walking on the pavement are often scared or startled by vehicles — usually large cars or four-wheel-drives — that zoom on to the pavement. This is extremely dangerous for unsuspecting pedestrians.

Additionally, these thoughtless motorists are oblivious to the damage they are causing to the pavements. It causes the stones to break and is a major nuisance for the authorities.

On one occasion, I witnessed just how dangerous parking on the pavement can be. A shop was on fire on Mina Road and the firefighters had a hard time getting to the location because of the large crowd and parked cars.

One vehicle was parked on the pavement, right in front of the building on fire and I saw a large group of firefighters and people actually lifting the car out of the way.

This is an unnecessary and extremely dangerous hindrance — especially during emergencies. Even though under the rule offenders are fined, their attitude seems to remain unchanged.

I urge the authorities to confiscate or tow away vehicles that are parked on the pavement. Stricter fines should also be imposed on rule violators.

- The reader is an account manager based in Abu Dhabi.

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