Scooter inspectors hunt for parking offenders

The Abu Dhabi Department of Transport (DoT) has deployed hundreds of inspectors through the Capital to hunt for car parking offenders as plans to turn most areas into paid parking spaces gain pace.

Using tiny scooters, inspectors in gray uniforms armed with penalty ticket books are roaming scores of paid parking space in the city to check every parked car to ensure the payment ticket is stuck on its windshield.

The deployment of the inspectors comes as DoT is pushing ahead with the parking project to cover all parts of the city of nearly one million people.

Scores of workers on trucks and bulldozers are seen toiling on the street in many areas to pave the way for the installation of payment metres that will allow drivers to park their vehicles for one hour for Dhtwo in most places.

“I just parked my car and went to the shop…when I returned, I found a ticket,” said a Jordanian expatriate, who did not notice the new payment machine just installed in Khalidiyya area close to the Corniche road.

“I noticed the new white lines delineating parking spaces for the cars but I thought the payment system is not introduced to this area yet….I have to pay the Dh300 fine…it seems these inspectors are very serious.”

A few metres from the Jordanian’s car, another vehicle parked in the wrong place and had a ticket stuck on its front. The ticket included a fine of Dh500 as the car was parked just outside the assigned parking space.

A third vehicle was just trying to pull out of the parking space when two inspectors handed its driver a ticket. He tried to protest but they gave him the ticket and advised him to make sure he pays for parking next time.

The massive paid parking space close to the sprawling complex of the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) has just been completed by DoT and it can house at least 300 vehicles at a time.

It is the latest paid parking to be completed in the Capital while work is under way to install payment machines in other areas, including Defence Road, Bateen, Airport Road and Mushref. The project has been delayed in the Tourist Club area, which has been under massive road construction because of its proximity to the Reem Island and the Middle East’s longest traffic tunnel.

The Dhfive-billion tunnel is expected to be completed by early 2011 and will allow motorists heading into the city to drive straight to the western edge without having to stop at any traffic signal. A vast road network is being built above the tunnel, including a causeway linking the mainland to the nearby Reem Island, which will be inhabited by over 150,000 people next year.

“I think this parking project in the capital will only make it worse,” said Adnan Saadi, a Palestinian expatriate in Abu Dhabi. ”In my area, the car parking spaces are far below the actual number of cars…at night, I have sometimes to park my car in another area and walk home because I don’t want to get a ticket.”

But that was not the view of another expatriate. “This is a great plan as it will remove many cars off the parking space in the capital,” said Andrew Ramsden, a British. “Many vehicles come and park in my area for no reason and I think the problem will come to an end now…another good thing is that the cars were making a mess in the way they park…the parking is now very organized.”

DoT launched the paid parking project last year as part of an overall development plan for Abu Dhabi emirate, taking into consideration a steady growth in the population and the number of vehicles.

Official figures showed the Emirate’s total population stood at around 1.6 million in mid 2009, including nearly one million in Abu Dhabi city alone. The rest live in the oasis town of Al-Ain, the eastern region and other areas.

Police figures showed the emirate had nearly 728,900 cars at the end of September, an average of a car for every two persons.

According to government data, Abu Dhabi has one of the highest population growth rates, averaging around five per cent annually in the past 10 years.

Experts attributed the rapid growth to the high birth rate among nationals, modest growth among expatriate residents and a surge in foreign influx during most of the 2000-2009 period due to the rise in oil prices.

Abu Dhabi has the largest economy in the UAE given its massive oil and gas production, with its nominal GDP standing at around Dh519.9 billion in 2008. It was expected to have dipped by about 10 per cent in 2009.

In a circular last week, the Central Bank said pproperty investors need to obtain prior approval of DoT if they want to get loans from local banks to ensure landlords would stick to rules regarding car parking.

“All banks and finance companies operating in the UAE are asked to cooperate with DoT in this regard…this measure is intended to support the Department’s strategy to tackle the car parking problem in the city,” the Central Bank said.

Newspapers said the Central Bank distributed the circular after receiving a letter from DoT about plans to issue a new decision on parking by developers.

“The letter disclosed that the Department is in the process of issuing a new decision requiring property developers to pay Dh50,000 in case they could not provide a parking space in their area.”

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