1,200 new parking slots open at Dubai's JBR

A new underground parking lot in Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) has opened, adding a much-needed 1,200 parking spaces in the community.

JBR has never been just a residential community. Located directly on the beach front and bordered by the popular boulevard The Walk, it is a much-preferred destination for tourists and local visitors alike.

As a result, a continuous flow of traffic runs through the narrow streets every day, and until now parking space was a scarce entity.

However, a recent face-change of the Walk brought along a brand new underground parking garage, inclusive of 1,200 parking spaces located in the middle of the promenade.

The car park is, thereby, the largest car park area for visitors in JBR, and the most accessible as it is a straight drive-through from Al Gharbi Street, which crosses Dubai Marina waters to Sheikh Zayed Road.

The entrance to the new underground parking lot in JBR. (Majorie Van Leijen)

With the new addition, parking availability seems to have become less of an issue in the community. A little further north, a 550-slot parking area continues to operate on a 24/7 basis. Another 300 slots are provided in Murjan. Meanwhile, on-street parking is permitted in certain areas.

However, each parking has its own rules and conditions.

The new car park is already renowned for its costly access charge. For Dh20 per hour a slot in the garage is guaranteed. For an average visitor spending at least a couple of hours at the Walk this car park quickly becomes a pricy option.

Some confusion has been doing rounds about the opening hours too. Currently, access to the car park is unlimited and security guards do not claim otherwise. However, banners at the car park inform visitors that vehicles left after 3am would be clamped and be subject to a Dh1,000 penalty.

The smaller, existing car park is a saver option in these regards. Located a bit further down the Walk, it may require spending some time in the slow-moving single lane traffic queue, but eventually this will pay off. At a rate of Dh5 per hour during weekdays, and Dh10 per hour on Friday and Saturday a slot on the terrain is yours. The parking area is always open.

The cheapest option, however, is in Murjan complex, a bit of a hidden parking area for newcomers to the community. The Murjan complex houses a car park with 300 slots open for resident and visitors, revealed Dubai Properties Group (DPG). The car park is free-of charge, and located at the most northern part of the Walk.

On-street parking is a bit of a challenge, but not impossible. At various locations down the lane, parking is permitted at one or both sides of the street. When permitted, these parking slots are free of charge. However, there are also stretches where parking is strictly forbidden, and fines do get handed out.

A common view on the Walk is the line-up of illegally parked cars, all with a fine under the window shields.
 
“Parking is allowed by the side of the road in certain marked areas within JBR.  Fines for parking in areas where it is not permitted are implemented by RTA / Dubai Police,” commented DPG earlier.

“JBR has been designed with adequate parking space for all residents, in accordance with Dubai’s standard planning regulations.” To improve parking facilities for visitors, the additional car parks were built. With the development of the underground car park, there will be far greater availability of parking, it added.

At the most, the southern end of the Walk currently lies another, albeit slightly dubious parking option. Marked with the words ‘Emaar customer parking’ the sandy area provides plenty of space for cars to park, and nobody really understands whether they are permitted to do so. Fines did not seem to be handed out when this reporter visited the area.

Responding to queries about the future plans of DPG for the community, the developer said: “A number of DPG and RTA (Road and Transport Authority) initiatives are being implemented to address both visitor and resident parking and traffic issues. The Pay Parking system is a great example of one of the measures taken to improve parking for visitors to The Walk at JBR and the application of this nominal fee has resulted in greater availability of parking for visitors.

“In addition, we are creating connectivity points with future tram stops to address concerns regarding traffic and pedestrian flows.

However, DPG encouraged the use of public transportation, as the Walk is a very popular destination, particularly on weekends. “Dubai Metro has two stations within close proximity of The Walk (Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Lake Towers).

“We work very closely with government authorities to regulate the flow of traffic to The Walk, especially at peak times, it added.

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