Strict rules imposed to curb rise in illegal car parking

Abu Dhabi Traffic authorities have begun enforcing strict measures against illegal car parking.

The move was prompted by a surge in violations. From now on, offenders will be fined and their vehicles will be confiscated. Traffic police have already introduced a new warning ticket. The pink card has been stuck on many cars.

"You are parked in the wrong place," said a ticket stuck on the windscreen of an offending vehicle on Hamdan Street. " If you do not remove your vehicle within 24 hours, it will be towed away and impounded. You will shoulder all fees and expenses.

The measures on the order of a top traffic police officer came amidst growing public complaints about lack of space in the capital's parking lots.

"I do not want to listen to complaints because we have enough paid parking areas for cars and the municipality is doing its best in this regard, " said Lieutenant Colonel Gaith Al Saabi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Traffic and Licencing Department.

"It's just that they do not want to use those lots and want to park their cars in the middle of the road. We can no longer tolerate such acts and will take measures against drivers who park their cars in the wrong places. We will intensify police patrols in and around the city to curtail such practices and ensure discipline."

Al Zaabi said in a statement.

Municipality officials said more parking areas are being constructed in the capital for more than 700.000 people. Police sources said more than 5.000 tickets have been issued in the past three months against parking offenders.

The number of offences increased after an expansion in road construction work. Motorists complain that there isn't enough room in the parking lots in the busy city center or near key government buildings, where thousands of people converge every day.

One Arab expatriate said: " I work at the planning ministry on Hamdan street. Every day I have to spend 10 or 20 minutes looking for a parking place. Sometimes I park tar away and walk to my office."

Traffic police are seen almost every morning in street next to the planning ministry busy writing tickets and sticking them on the windscreens of cars parked illegally.

The area has an unpaid parking lot that can accommodate 400 cars, but thousands visit the area and part of the parking lot is used by the residents of nearby buildings.

An adjoining parking area has been narrowed by underground sewage work. A nearby restaurant owner said: " They began digging here more than six months ago. Work has completely stopped here for more than two months and we don's see any more workers.

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