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Sharjah residents peeved at hike in parking charges

SHARJAH — Following the decision made by the Sharjah Municipality to raise the charges of public parking in only three areas — Al Mahatta, Al Manakh, and Al Shiyoukh — effective today, a large number of Sharjah residents have expressed their concern about such a decision.

They considered it another burden on their budget which was already affected by the hike in the prices of daily needs products and petrol. Most of them considered the charges of Dh2 for one hour and Dh5 for two hours as very expensive and unaffordable to many who use the parking lots in these areas frequently.

Ammir Hussain, an employee, said that this increase would not solve the problem of traffic congestion as the Sharjah Municipality claimed, but it would force people to park their cars in areas not part of the municipality’s public parking. “We prefer to walk to our residence or office than to pay such expensive charges for the parking.”

Leila Al Addli, a businesswoman, said she would be affected by such a decision, and it would be a big burden for her, as she has to park her car in Al Mahtta Street where her ladies saloon is located. "The customers would look for another saloon where they don’t need to pay for the parking space. This decision would affect my budget and my business as well.”

Mohammed Abu Amjad said that the main role of the municipally in the world is to work on beautification of cities and ensure a clean environment, and not to come out with decisions that cause more pressure on the public.

"This decision should be implemented in areas where there are car companies renting out and selling cars. It should not be enforced on the general public," she added.

Lubna Yousif said she believed the decision was wise and would help reduce traffic congestion in these areas, and people would stop the misuse of public parking spaces.

Abdullah Al Amri, Director-General of the Sharjah Municipality, said that the new charges were determined, following a detailed study on the condition of traffic and parking spaces in crowded areas of the emirate. Based on the study, the municipality raises the amount of parking ticket to force a large number of people to use parking spaces in other vital areas.

He pointed out that the municipality had recently moved its section of public parking, which was in the main premises of the municipality, to the municipality’s administrative building in the industrial area, opposite the Sharjah Vegetable and Fruits Market. The section will be working from Saturdays to Thursdays from 7am to 2 pm to provide all kind of services for the public, such as selling prepaid parking charges card for one year, six months and three months as well as collecting fines for violations of public parking.

Al Amri stressed that the charges of parking in areas other than the three areas mentioned above have not been raised, as only Dh1 will be charged for the one hour and Dh3 for two hours. There are no charges between 1pm and 4pm and after 9pm, as well as on Fridays and public holidays.

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