Residents not fine with new Sharjah parking fine

Published Tuesday, August 28, 2012

By Sneha May Francis

Merely issuing parking fines will not solve parking woes in Sharjah, claim residents, who feel it’s about time the municipality provided them with more parking spots.

Sharjah Municipality will start fining motorists Dh200 for parking in a wrong manner.

“It’s almost impossible to find parking space near my building.

“On a good day, I find parking within 10-15 minutes, but some days it takes me over an hour, or even two, to find a slot,” elaborates Rishi Khanna, resident near Sahara Centre in Al Nahda.

The lack of good parking facilities in these areas forces residents to park in the empty sand pits near the building.

“The ground is uneven, and it’s a bumpy ride,” describes Nidhi, another resident.

“That’s not all.

“Many people just park wherever they find place, even if it means blocking someone else’s access.

“One time, I was stuck in my car for 30 minutes, because a man decided to park right behind my car.”

The lack of proper parking slots force residents to use the vacant sand areas near the buildings.

“Just few marked parking slots along the road are not enough to cater to many residents in the area.

“In fact, we don’t have access to parking in our building, so we end up parking outside,” elucidates Rihana, who has lived in the same area for the past two years.

She insists that the situation has worsened over the year, with more residential buildings opening up in the area.

“Most people refuse to pay for the parking fee in their building and park for free in the sandy areas.”

According to her, if the authorities must take action to curb parking violators they must first create enough parking slots.

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