Mawaqif tariffs unjustified: Abu Dhabi residents

Abu Dhabi residents are crying foul about tariffs and fines imposed by Abu Dhabi Department of Transport (DOT) under Mawaqif.

People complain tariff is unreasonable as it does not justify the service provided and that it is applied without proper study, reported 'Emarat Al Youm'.

Parking slots in some residential areas charge Dh3 per hour while it is Dh2 in others. Some residents complain of not getting parking space despite availing the Mawaqif service.

Meanwhile, Naguib Al Zarouni, Director-General of Mawaqif, said tariff in Abu Dhabi is the same throughout the day unlike other emirates. Sub-parking for a whole day at Dh15 is a good option compared to paying per hour, he added.

"DOT will offer pre-paid permits for employees who require to use paid car parking slots during week days. He assured the price for such a service will be appropriate with the nature of service," said Al Zarouni.

Ahmad Al Rifai, employee with Abu Dhabi Municipality, said: "Mawaqif claims that prepaid parking system is prevalent across the world, but it overlooks the fact that fees for they offer services at reasonable costs. Mawaqif does not offer any services in return for the fees collected."

"Mawaqif provides workers to paint sidewalks in different colours but does not undertake maintenance. So the demarcation fades away quickly and motorists are fined for wrong parking," he added.

Umm Tariq, resident of Al Khalidyah, said: "Mawaqif service users do not find parking slots and are constantly subjected to fines. The method used in giving pre-paid parking permits is wrong. And tariffs are imposed without field studies. In some areas it is Dh2 per hour and in others it is Dh3."

Ahmed Al Mansouri, an Emirati and resident of capital, said: "Mawaqif  promised to reorganise underground parking in buildings located in areas that have dedicated parking slots. However, it has not yet been addressed. People are confused about Mawaqif rules that apply to parking slots within buildings." 

There are people who do not deserve permit and have got it. Yet there are several who are eligible and have not got permits, he added.

Naji Ramzey said employees who have long working hours are the worst sufferers. He urged oficials issue pre-paid parking permits for employees at special rates as well as provide adequate parking with residential buildings.
 
Al Zarouni said Mawaqif aims to keep Abu Dhabi a more orderly place. "The service has been rolled out after a careful study. The allocation of parking for residents as well as the system functioning will be circulated to all regions soon," he added. In fact it is a very convenient service, he said. "Mawaqif provides the option of paying fees vis SMS," Al Zarouni added.

“Mawaqif will create a number of multi-storey parking slots in addition to temporary parking to accommodate maximum number of vehicles and ease congestion in the emirate," he said.

"Property owners are providing underground parking since October 17 last year under Mawaqif," he added. Local newspapers had earlier announced the need for owners to ensure all tenants have parking space, if possible, without additional fees to the lease contracts, he said.

Al Zarouni said: "According to parking Law No (18) of 2009 the annual pre-paid parking permits are only for residents and tenants and not employees. Mawaqif will issue employees annual subscription, he added.

Mawaqif tariff is the lowest compared to most cities in the world, said Al Zarouni.

Under a new service called Saof We Arkab individuals can park their cars at a certain point and use public transport to reach workplaces.

He added Mawaqif issued parking permits to employees despite it being against DOT policy to encourages short-time use of parking slots.

Meanwhile, DOT has launched e-Residents permit service for parking. This initiative comes in line with the department's efforts to constantly use innovative and sustainable techniques to deal with parking issues in the capital in the best manner, and to facilitate the use of public parking spaces efficiently and easily for residents.

The new service allows residents to obtain electronic permits, without having to place them visibly on the dashboard of the vehicle.

The initiative also allows Mawaqif inspectors to track the status of all cars through their registered number plates via the electronic system that allows for more efficiency.

Residents can obtain their electronic permits from customer service centers, where their documents and information will be verified and added into the electronic database. The documents required to obtain the resident permit include: passport copy with valid residency visa, lease of contract or residency ownership proof, last electric bill, vehicle ownership, relationship proof for the vehicle owner if different from the tenancy or ownership contract.

Annual fees for the resident permits are Dh800 for the first vehicle and Dh1,200 for the second vehicle via cash or credit cards. Residents in the allocated areas can apply for resident permits from the Mawaqif Customer Service Centres. Residential permits allow drivers to park in any available standard parking bay in the area where they reside at any time without having to pay any additional charges.

This permit is available to owners or the tenants and their affiliates of first kin relationships - mother, father, wife and kids, in addition to brothers and sisters- with a maximum of two permits per household. Each permit is sector and vehicle specific.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.