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No coins for parking, say Abu Dhabi residents

Abu Dhabi - The machines do have a credit card facility, but residents say the minimum charge for this is Dh15 for a full day of parking, which isn't a practical solution for people who need to park for a couple of hours.

Abu Dhabi residents are facing a peculiar problem: They can't seem to find coins for the parking fee collection machines. And they are now urging the Department of Transport (DoT) to give them alternatives to pay the parking fee.
The machines do have a credit card facility, but residents say the minimum charge for this is Dh15 for a full day of parking, which isn't a practical solution for people who need to park for a couple of hours.
Residents say that after parking their vehicles, they have to walk long distances to exchange notes for coins, or else use their credit cards and end up paying Dh15 instead of Dh3 or Dh2. Public parking spaces are chargeable in Abu Dhabi from 8am to 12pm from Saturday to Thursday. A parking fee of Dh3 per hour is collected at the main turquoise-and-white-coloured parking lots.
The maximum limit for parking in these spots is four hours. At the turquoise-and-black coloured parking spots, the charge is Dh2 per hour. People say they find it difficult to get parking during the morning business hours and noon time if they need to visit a government department or a ministry in Abu Dhabi.
This forces them to park their cars on the road at undesignated areas. This obstructs traffic as well other motorists who park their cars in the designated parking spaces.
Eid Mahmoud said it becomes difficult when he does not possess coins. This makes him use his credit card which sometimes is denied approval by the machines unless one pays Dh15 for a whole day.
The parking fee collection machines sometimes do not respond to the credit card. And some machines are located quite far away from each other according to residents. Saeed Abdullah Nasser, a resident, stressed the need for quick solution to the problem.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com 

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