Advanced parking meters being installed in Sharjah

SHARJAH — Sharjah Municipality has started installing new advanced parking meters.

Afkar Ali Ahmed

Published: Wed 30 Aug 2006, 8:52 AM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 6:21 PM

The meters are being fitted in Al Majaz, Al Majjarah, Al Shuwaihain, King Abdul Aziz, Jamal Abdul Nassir and Al Wahda streets as well as Buhaira Corniche from Raddison SAS Hotel to Public Cafe, according to Butti bin Khadim, Deputy Director of Sharjah Municipality.

He pointed out that the timings of paid parking were amended only in the evening as follows: from 5am to 10am instead of 4am to 9am. The charges of the public parking zones in Um Al Tarafa and Al Guwair will be doubled as this will help a great deal in minimising the crowds and give a chance to others to use the parking spaces.

He said that Sharjah Municipality has recently decided to make the paid parking zones around mosques free of charge during all the five prayer timings. The motorists who park their vehicles in paid parking zones around mosques do not have to pay for parking to go for prayers. The 45 minutes after the Azan (call for prayer) would be free during prayer times including Fajr, Zoher, Asr and Isha prayers. With regard to Maghrib prayers, only 30 minutes after Azan would be free as these prayers are not long.

He said that municipality inspectors who were deployed in the paid parking zones around the mosques have been instructed not to put fine tickets on vehicles around mosques during prayer timings.

Bin Khadim said that the move is part of the municipality's concern about providing best services for the public in the emirate.

The municipality has installed the new advanced meters around these mosques as part of its parking development projects, which aim at organising areas, and eliminating the crowds around them as well as easing traffic congestions in various parts of the emirate. The municipality is also making efforts to cope with continuous increase of the population in the emirate. The first quota of the new advanced paid parking meters were installed in various parts of the emirates, with priority given to busy and crowded areas.

"The parking meters will be connected to a control room at the municipality. So any violations of parking tickets will be sent directly to Sharjah Traffic Police," said Bin Khadim adding, "if any technical damage happens to the system employees at the control room will be able to detect it."