Dubai's Tecom to get more parking areas: RTA

More parking spaces for visitors and business partners will be provided in Tecom localities, has the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) revealed in a statement to Emirates 24|7.

“After one year of operation, the RTA and Tecom are currently restudying the parking structure in Tecom to add more spaces for both reserved and paid parking,” said Maitha bin Adai, CEO of the Traffic and Roads Agency (TRA) at RTA.

Last year, a newly developed parking scheme was implemented in the three Tecom localities Dubai Media City (DMC), Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV) and Dubai Internet City (DIC). While companies registered in these localities were allocated parking permits on quota, visitors to the area were bound to the metered parking options, available in specific areas.

The scheme was introduced by Tecom Investments and the Road and Transport Authority (RTA), aimed towards a more hassle-free parking situation prioritising the free zone staff, because the area is growing and traffic increasing.

The parking options enjoyed by the working staff in the areas partly depends on the agreement that the company has signed with Tecom Investments. “The parking permits, issued by the RTA and approved by Tecom are offered with validity of three months, six months, and one year terms, and these are made available depending on signed contracts with Tecom as per the leasable area and considering the availability of existing parking spaces within each sector,” explained bin Adai.

Individuals, however, are not able to buy the parking permits from Tecom Investments. Parking permits are distributed to the employees by their respective employers. If one is not eligible for a parking permit, metered parking is best next option.

Whereas business partners enjoyed the better part of the deal, visitors were faced with more of a challenge. When this reporter visited the area in December last year, little options were available to the visitors, and many complained of being unable to finding a parking place at all.

In a latest upgrade, a new off-street car park with 670 new slots was completed in DMC, the area faced with the largest demand. Of these new slots, 450 are metered and available to visitors. However, the demand continued to rise and the complaints remained the same.

Bin Adai commented: “Both the RTA and Tecom did a detailed study to determine the needed number of reserved and paid parking and per the current situation both types are fully occupied. Therefore, new parking areas will be added shortly.”

Meanwhile, the RTA urged visitors to the areas not to park in sandy areas as this is not allowed per law and it may affect road users’ safety, while impacting the infrastructure of the Tecom areas.

Further, the authority encourages visitors to utilise public transportation means such as the metro and the bus, which serves several communities such as Ghubayba, Discovery Gardens and Satwa Bus Station.

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