DoT evaluating automated car parking tender

Specialized companies were invited to bid for the design, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance of the two automated car parking facilities in the area of Al Salam Street. This is part of the DoT’s strategy to provide an effective system for parking management in Abu Dhabi according to the highest international standards.

The DoT will be managing the development of automated car parking through a public private partnership (PPP) model. In this phase, five companies were qualified after initial evaluations to submit their designs and technical/ financial offers after fulfilling the conditions set by the DoT. The tender will be awarded and the winner of will be announced before end of the current year 2010.

Through this initiative, the DoT aims to increase the capacity and number of parking spaces in Abu Dhabi, while providing multiple services within the facilities with the highest standards in safety, speed in car delivery and retrieval and efficiency in energy consumption. In addition, the designs are required to comply with sustainability principles in line with the “Istidamah” program of the Urban Planning Council (UPC) in Abu Dhabi.

Recent studies have shown that the number of registered vehicles in Abu Dhabi increases by 16% annually, while the number of new driving licenses rises by 10% each year on average, highlighting the importance of developing automated solutions such as the automated car parking facilities, the first of its kind in Abu Dhabi.

Eng. Najib Al Zarooni, General Manager of Parking at the Department of Transport, said: “The active coordination between the public and private sectors contributes to the development of Mawaqif initiatives. In addition, it provides the proper elements for competition as well as collaboration and integration in the benefit of achieving Mawaqif overall strategic plan. Our partnership with the private sector will provide an opportunity to innovate.”

Al Zarooni added: “Our role is not only to provide parking in Abu Dhabi, but also to develop sustainable services and sophisticated measures to make the use of public parking very easy. Automated parking is one of the most modern technologies that contributes to solving traffic problems and saves a lot of space normally allocated to conventional parking. This reflects the extent of our commitment to providing the best means of comfort for the general public and reducing their parking challenges. With automated car parking, drivers can just stop their car at the entrance and leave within a few seconds. More so, automated parking is very safe.”

The Department of Transport introduced “Mawaqif” in October 2009 as part of its Surface Transport Master Plan (STMP). The parking management program provides a sustainable solution aimed at ensuring more accessible and less congested city. This initiative supports Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 and the Department of Transport’s plans to place Abu Dhabi as one of the world’s leading places with regards to mobility, connectivity and transport.