Dubai: Visitors driving to Dubai Courts are facing waiting times of up to an hour to get a parking spot.
With so little parking space for so many cars, the problem is also creating traffic congestion that spills on to the main road.
“I have been waiting for more than one hour to try and find parking. This is the first time that I have come here and I wasn’t expecting this,” said Mohammad Kamal, from Bangladesh.
“There aren’t enough parking spaces so I think it would be good if more parking spaces could be allocated so we can find a parking spot more easily. I am fortunate though because I came here only to drop off my friend, but if I had to be inside the court I would definitely be late and miss the appointment,” he added.
Rony L., from Lebanon, told Gulf News he had driven around the parking lot five times and still couldn’t manage to find a parking spot, “Next time I have to come here I will most likely come in a taxi. I definitely recommend a bigger space for parking because that would make things easier for everybody,” he said.
Hani S., a lawyer from Egypt, said that a new bus shuttle service was introduced last month to help commuters who are forced to park far away from the court. The bus route goes back and forth from the court to Creek Park located just under 2km west of the court.
“There are one to two buses that take you from Creek Park to the court, so I park my car at Creek Park and I use this service which is very convenient for me especially in the hot weather,” he said.
“I no longer try to find a parking outside the court because it takes too much time and is almost impossible. As lawyers we also have to be on time for our cases. We cannot be late for a hearing, and if we have to find a parking space outside the court we will definitely not be able to make the scheduled case on time. I always tell my clients to come as early as possible if they are driving to ensure they don’t miss their court hearing,” he added.
Despite the new bus shuttle service, property manager Fahd Akhtar, from India, said he walked all the way from Creek Park to the court. “The parking space is not sufficient so I hope they add more in the future. I come to the court regularly and I rarely manage to find a parking so what I end up doing is park my car at Creek Park,” he said.
“Walking is not convenient especially when the temperature is very high. By the time you arrive for your meeting you are covered in sweat,” he added.
A spokesperson from the Roads and Transport Authority told Gulf News that they are not responsible for the parking space outside the Dubai Court as the parking area is not under their jurisdiction.
