AD200910710049839AR
AD200910710049839AR
AD200910710049839AR
AD200910710049839AR

D-Day is coming for parking violators


  • English
  • Arabic

ABU DHABI // In the heart of the city, shiny new turquoise-blue parking meters were met with curious looks yesterday afternoon. "I just noticed those meters today," said Y Lee, 41, whose car was parked along with dozens of other vehicles in the middle of the road between two rows of cars. Mr Lee, originally from South Korea, and other motorists appeared surprised by the meters and unaware of the Department of Transport's plan to eventually manage 75,000 pay-to-park spaces on the island.

The department hopes everyone will know about the system by Saturday, when authorities will start fining drivers who ignore the meters or park in illegal spaces in parts of the city. The first area where the rules will be enforced runs from Liwa to Baniyas streets and from Hamdan to Khalifa streets. The area will have 75 meters in operation and 27 officers on patrol. Initially, officers will offer advice and pamphlets with details of the new parking programme, called Mawaqif, to educate motorists before enforcement begins in earnest.

The purpose of the meters, and the fines for those who ignore them, is to free up parking spaces and offer an incentive for using public transportation, said Najib al Zarooni, director of parking for the Department of Transport. "Our intention is to support public transport," Mr al Zarooni said. "To let people leave their vehicles and use other types of transportation in the near future." In the short term, he said, "we are expecting that people instead of using a parking bay inefficiently, they will use it efficiently" and move their vehicle to avoid a fine.

At 3pm yesterday, however, none of the parking officers, identifiable by their turquoise-blue vests, could be seen in the area. And the information pamphlets had not arrived at the department's customer service centre, which opened yesterday at Hamdan and Al Salam streets. Transport officials said officers would be out with pamphlets later yesterday, and starting at 8am today. Advertisements will spread information about the programme's hotline and website although the website, www.mawaqif.ae, was not live as of last night.

Government officials say the move to paid parking is vital for Abu Dhabi, where congestion has cost the economy Dh5 billion (US$1.36bn) a year, according to a report by the Department of Planning and Economy rin 2008. The number of registered vehicles has surged in recent years, including an increase of 16 per cent between 2005 and 2008. For residents, the problem is more down-to-earth: there is no place to put their vehicles when they are not in motion. Many were sceptical of the proposed solution.

"There is a lot of cars, what are they going to do? Is it really going to solve the crowding and the number of cars? Is this really going to help?" asked Ahmed Jalal, 32, of Jordan. Mr Jalal, an IT manager, is the type of motorist at whom the new laws are aimed. He has parked a broken-down 1984 Toyota Corolla behind Hamdan Street for five months. "Where shall I put it, now that I'm not using it?" he said. "I believe I will have to throw it out."

The new metered parking zones are defined by colour. Premium spaces off main streets are marked with blue-and-white stripes and cost Dh3 an hour. Drivers will be allowed to leave their car for up to four hours. Standard spots are marked with blue-and-black kerb paint and cost Dh2 an hour, up to a maximum of Dh15. Drivers will have 24 hours before they must move their car. Spaces in multi-storey car parks will cost Dh2 an hour.

The fees will be enforced from 8am to 9pm, every da except Fridays and public holidays. Motorists can pay with coins or by using a prepaid card that can be purchased at the customer service centre. The Government has said it will supply additional parking spaces where surveys show they are needed. Two multi-storey, automated car parks have been put out to tender, potentially adding 500 spaces on Salam Street near Hamdan and Sheikh Zayed the First streets by next year.

Officials also hope to introduce park-and-ride options in some other areas to encourage motorists to take buses from designated car parks. The entire pay parking programme should be in place in about two and a half years, officials said. The department chose the area to begin the programme because there are underground car parks providing about 1,000 spaces that were underutilised, Mr al Zarooni said. People see them as less desirable, and landlords sometimes charge up to Dh50,000 a year to use them.

"We know that illegal parking in these two sectors is almost 1,000 illegal vehicles, but available parking under a multi-storey car park is more than 1,000," he said. "So there is enough availability but people don't want to walk or the owner doesn't want to include it in their tenancy contract. They want to charge an extra amount, and people don't want to pay." Backed by a new law to be passed soon, Mr al Zarooni said, the parking programme will stamp out the practice of landlords charging tenants high rates to park.

Residents will be entitled to two parking permits, the first costing Dh800 and the second Dh1,200. Those also can be purchased from the service centre. At the customer service centre yesterday, parking for potential patrons was scarce. Inside, two clerks said they did not have specific information or pamphlets about fines, costs or violations. "Come back in maybe one week," one representative said.

* The National, with additional reporting by Jen Gerson For a further report on parking in Abu Dhabi visit www.thenational.ae/insidethenational

The candidates

Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive

Ali Azeem, business leader

Tony Booth, professor of education

Lord Browne, former BP chief executive

Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist

Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist

Dr Mark Mann, scientist

Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner

Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister

Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster

 

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

While you're here
Company info

Company name: Entrupy 

Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist

Based: New York, New York

Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.  

Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius. 

Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place. 

The%20Caine%20Mutiny%20Court-Martial%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWilliam%20Friedkin%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKiefer%20Sutherland%2C%20Jason%20Clarke%2C%20Jake%20Lacy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

At a glance

Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free

Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland

UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less