ABU DHABI // Motorists will have to pay up to Dh3 an hour to leave their cars in Abu Dhabi's city centre under plans unveiled today to solve the capital's parking crisis. The Department of Transport announced that from October, motorists will have to pay to park in three areas at the heart of the central business district. The public parking management strategy will then be rolled out in stages, covering 43 sectors stretching from the Tourist Club area to Khaleej al Arabi Road and from Khalifa Street to Hazza Bin Zayed Street. There will also be additional area from Fourth Street to Al Karamah Street and Hazza Bin Zayed Street to Al Saada Street.
Hourly fees will be Dh3 to park on main streets and Dh2 for side streets between 8am and 9pm. Parking on public holidays will be free. Residents will be able to purchase annual permits for Dh800 for the first vehicle and Dh1,200 for an additional vehicle. "This is a comprehensive plan to handle the increased demand on parking to handle the sporadic parking," said Najib al Zarooni, director of parking for the DoT.
The Department also intends to increase the number of parking spaces. In the short-term this will involve building temporary car parks and redesigning existing car parks. Two locations have been selected for multi-storey underground car parks on Hamdan Street and Zayed the First Street. A call for tenders to construct the structures will be issued in the fourth quarter of this year and construction will begin early 2010.
According the DoT, the number of vehicles registered in the emirate had increased by an average of 16 per cent between 2005 and 2008. mchung@thenational.ae
