Is The Greens next up for paid parking?

Residents of The Greens in Al Barsha saw the signs of a possible major change in their neighborhood, as paid-parking signboards were installed on the side of the street.

On Tuesday evening, the sight of the paid parking sign posts were signaled, as they were installed in the current on-road parking areas.

However, as they were installed they were quickly covered in black plastic bags, indicating that the change in parking rules was not just yet implemented.

Speaking to Emaar, no confirmation of the paid parking zone could be given.

However, the signs suggest that free-of-charge on-road parking will soon come to an end.

“This is insane. This is a residential community, and this will affect the residents most of all,” said Kinana Homsi-Mardini, a Syrian woman who lives in The Greens.

Like many other families, her family owns two cars, and only one parking permit is allocated per apartment.

“If this is implemented, I will be forced to pay for hours per day in order to park my car outside,” she uttered, while watching the signposts being put up.

The Greens will not be the first community in the area that will see its parking regulations changed. In April last year, a sweeping change came to Dubai Media City, Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai Internet City when on-street parking became eligible only to those with a parking permit. Companies located in the freehold area were required to purchase the parking permits.

Half a year earlier, Jumeirah Lakes Towers saw the barriers to their parking lots go down, as they would only open to those with a valid parking permit. Residents were left at the discretion of their landlords, and some were unable to obtain the permit.

Currently, the residents in The Greens enjoy an allocated parking spot in the underground parking lot of their building, while on-street parking is available to any person, albeit parking space is difficult to find after office hours.

A comment from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on the issue is awaited.

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