Abu Dhabi: The extensive roadworks in the capital’s Al Zahiyah area are proving to be an inconvenience to residents who live in the neighbourhood, and many are calling upon authorities not to issue fines for wrong parking.
“Finding parking near my house has always been difficult. Now with the ongoing construction, most of the available parking space has also been blocked,” Mustafa Saleem, a 59-year-old purchasing officer from India, told Gulf News.
“I understand that the roadworks are necessary and will eventually work to our benefit. That being said, parking inspectors should not issue fines for parking in non-designated areas during this period, especially when we don’t block other vehicles or roads,” Saleem added.
Saleem has been living in a three-bedroom apartment in a 15-storey building behind Al Salama Hospital for the last three years. The construction in this area is part of a makeover for Al Zahiyah — one of the capital’s oldest residential neighbourhoods — that began in January.
To facilitate this upgrade, Al Firdous Street has been converted into a two-way road, while the 10th Street that passes by Abu Dhabi Mall and the Beach Rotana Hotel has been completely blocked since March 2017.
The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has announced that the area redesign will increase available parking by more than 2,000 spaces, and that they will also set up cycling tracks across 126,400 square metres. The project is expected to be completed by next summer.
For the moment, Saleem said he has to look carefully for parking when he returns home from work at 6pm.
“But it is impossible to find parking after 10 PM. About two weeks ago, I was forced to park my car in a non-designated spot, but I made sure not to block any other car or road. Yet, I was served a Dh300 parking ticket, which I feel is unfair,” he said.
Saleem says he has also been unable to discuss the matter with Mawaqif, the Department of Transport’s division that manages parking issues, even though he has called multiple times. The department also did not respond to Gulf News’ queries on the subject.
“At the very least, a little more parking space should be freed up for residents to use. I have so much trouble finding parking that I now leave my car near my office, then take a Dh25 cab ride home!” Saleem said.
Although construction works are also ongoing further down the road, residents there face a little less trouble in the search for parking.
“My in-laws live in the block opposite Al Salama Hospital, and except when they return home past midnight, they are still able to find parking without too much difficulty. Most importantly, a few rows of parking have been set up in the area of the old Tourist Club, and although this is a five minutes’ walk from their home, it is still parking that they can use,” said Nada A, 26, a Palestinian-American media executive.
