Dubai - 77 per cent of parking slots will remain unaffected by fee hike, 11 types of free parking permits offered
Published: Thu 19 May 2016, 4:25 PM
The new parking fee of Dh 4 per hour in the commercial areas of Dubai, covering 30,000 slots, is set to come into effect on May 28.
The new timings will be from 8am to 10pm, with no break in between. The existing timings are from 8am to 1pm and 4pm to 9pm. Also, parking fare in multi-level parking terminals has also been upped from Dhs 3 to Dh 5 per hour in order to increase the rotation of using the parking slots in these buildings.
In a major restructuring, the announcement to change the paid parking hours and fares was announced by the Dubai Media Office earlier in March.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) confirmed that the decision to revise the parking fee structure in Dubai Emirate was prompted by the need to find out solutions for the problem of the decreasing number of vacant parking slots in congested parts of the city. "It also stems from the need to encourage the people to use more of mass transit means and abandon the heavy reliance on private vehicles," said Maitha Bin Udai, CEO of RTA's Traffic & Roads Agency.
However, the fee hike does not affect 77 per cent of the total number of paid parking slots in Dubai amounting to about 130 thousand car parks.
Bin Udai said: "The decision to regulate the use of parking in Dubai involving a parking fee hike effective from this May 28 covers only 23 per cent of total parking slots in Dubai i.e. 77 per cent of parking slots are not affected by this revision."
She added: "The Decision intends to increase the rotation of using parking slots in high-demand areas in order to make them available to the largest possible number of users. Thus, the overall objective of the decision is to offer a solution for the scarcity of vacant parking slots in congested areas of the city.
New parking tariffs in Dubai
"A full system involving free packages and services has been developed for citizens and residents spanning a wide spectrum of the community such as the disabled, seniors, and government entities among others. 11 types of parking permits will therefore be available to a variety of community segments to serve their legitimate needs, supported by documentary evidences, to avail such permits. These 11 categories include permanently disabled, temporary disabled, disabled tourists & visitors of the Emirate, patients with chronic illnesses regularly visiting hospitals, seniors over 60, citizens residing in controlled public parking zones, in addition to GCC citizens residing in controlled public parking zones, government entities, consulates operating in the Emirate, and residents in residential communities where parking is prohibited at night for non-residents, in addition to permits at discounted rates offered to university students," explained Metha.
"The new policy of revising the tariff of public parking in Dubai is built on concept of ensuring that parking slots are not unjustifiably occupied, and are made available to the largest possible number of users especially at noon, to enable people visit hospitals, malls and banks. RTA is continuing to upgrade & broaden its service network through offering alternative solutions to encourage the people to use public transport means, which are considered integral part of Dubai infrastructure.
"The new parking policy conforms to the top practices of the industry and is considered the least expensive when compared to similar policies of major cities such as London, Singapore and Hong Kong. The new policy takes into consideration the rate of parking occupancy in the area, proportion of commercial & residential buildings, and the availability/congestion of public transport means," she noted.
"The free parking period at noon has been abolished under the new policy and the paid parking period will thus continue seamlessly from 8 am to 10 pm during weekdays except Friday and public holidays. The move is intended to increase the frequency of using the single parking during that period in response to the needs of the local market and the wishes of customers to regulate the public parking during that period," continued Maitha.
"RTA always seeks to provide convenient mobility to customers and community members in Dubai in terms of using public transport means & car parks, and figuring out suitable solutions to any challenges encountered in optimizing the benefits from RTA services," she added.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
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However, the fee hike does not affect 77 per cent of the total number of paid parking slots in Dubai amounting to about 130 thousand car parks.
