Abu Dhabi drivers frustrated at lack of parking spaces

Finding a parking space is an arduous task for motorists visiting Ahalia Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // Drivers say they often spend up to 30 minutes in search of a parking place in a busy commercial and residential area of the city.

Khalid Eisa, 42, an accountant from Sudan, faces the daily struggle of finding a parking bay near his office in Hamdan Street.

“I drive from Al Ain to Abu Dhabi every day and then spend the next 30 minutes driving around,” he said.

“At times, I’m forced to put my hazard lights on and wait for a parked car to leave.”

Double parking is commonplace behind Ahalia Hospital, Aster Pharmacy, United Bank Limited, City Max and the Starbucks building off Hamdan Street.

Double parking is strictly prohibited, as is parking along yellow-and-black kerbstones, pedestrian walkways and next to fire hydrants. Motorists who do so risk a Dh500 fine.

On Monday morning, Vinod Potty, 38, a biomedical engineer from India, managed to find a parking spot near Ahalia Hospital after searching for about half an hour.

“I visit Ahalia Hospital once every two weeks and always face this problem,” he said. “There are premium parking spots right in front of the hospital facing Hamdan Street, but the car park is always full.”

A number of premium parking spaces have been converted into a wider pavement, said Mohammed Khalil, 51, who owns a laundry shop in Khalidiya. Premium parking, at turquoise and white kerbs, costs Dh3 an hour and has a four-hour limit.

“Who needs wider sidewalks and footpaths in this part of the city?” he said. “We need more parking spaces.”

Mr Khalil, who regularly visits the area to drop off and pick up laundry, spends up to an hour searching for a parking spot.

“I need only five to 10 minutes to drop off the laundry,” he said. “Last month, I parked my van behind a car to deliver laundry and found a Dh500 parking ticket on my windscreen.”

Parking in the capital has been an issue for several years but efforts are being made to solve the problem.

Mawaqif manages more than 99,000 parking spaces on the island, with about 10,500 of them having been created since the paid parking scheme began in 2009.

A two-storey car park and three-level underground car park are located between Hamdan and Khalifa Streets. Parking costs Dh2 an hour or Dh15 a day.

“It’s too hot to walk from the car park to my office,” said Mr Eisa, who works on the second floor of Al Moosa Tower building on Hamdan Street.

He said he was not prepared to risk a Dh100 fine for exceeding the time limit on his parking ticket.

“If my car is parked near the office, I’m able to check my ticket and extend it for another hour or so,” Mr Eisa said.

The two-storey and underground car parks can each accommodate more than 400 vehicles, but are always full during peak hours, Mr Potty said.

“I usually don’t get a spot between 9am and 11am and between 5pm and 9pm,” he said. “You’re lucky if someone eventually moves out of a parking space.”

Mawaqif, he said, should add another level to the two-storey car park or build more parking bays to address the shortage.

Bijoy K S, 26, a businessman from the south Indian state of Kerala, agreed, saying no empty bays were available at the two-storey car park on Wednesday morning.

“I circled the area for about 45 minutes until someone moved out of a parking space,” he said.

“But not everyone is lucky enough to find a parking spot. You’ll see a number of double-parked cars with their hazard lights on.”

The Department of Transport did not respond to requests for comment.