ABU DHABI // By the end of this month, motorists hoping to park anywhere between Corniche and Defence Road will have to pay to do so.
Since the beginning of the year, Mawaqif parking meters have been switched on block by block, with metered spaces now numbering more than 20,000.
The Department of Transport's goal was to bring order to the capital's often chaotic parking habits, but some residents complain the scheme has simply made matters worse.
Olivia Conneely lives in Khalidiyah and paid Dh2,000 for two parking permits in October. She says the plan is flawed, because it has vastly reduced the number of parking spaces available. It used to be that most drivers parked illegally, along kerbs and on medians. If they try that now, they risk a Dh500 fine.
After 7.30pm, says Mrs Conneely, there is no parking within walking distance of her flat. She has already been ticketed once for parking on a kerb, and is concerned she is going to face daily fines.
"By outlawing these illegal spaces, the Department of Transport has effectively reduced the parking by 60 per cent," Mrs Conneely said. "I live in a mainly residential area and unfortunately there has not been a 60 per cent reduction in residents."
Noam Franklin lives on Najda street near Elektra, an area densely packed with high-rise blocks. "Parking at my place over the last year has been difficult, but not too bad," he said.
Since paid parking started six weeks ago, it takes him more than an hour to find a spot. "If you come to my neighbourhood after 6.30pm, you will see people just driving in circles," he said. He calculates that there are perhaps enough spaces for a third of the residents on his block.
Mawaqif insists there are enough spaces. "We know how many permits we issue, how much parking is available and how many cars were parking there illegally before," said Najib al Zarooni, Mawaqif's general manager.
Paid parking is in place in 21 sectors, and the current plan calls for paid parking in 43 of the city's 114 sectors. It is unclear how much of the island this will encompass.
The focus so far has been on areas with tower blocks. In low-rise areas, paid parking will not be introduced as quickly, if at all.
To address the complaints of people like Mrs Conneely and Mr Franklin, Mawaqif introduced residents' permits. In some areas, only the owners of these permits are allowed to park in the evenings. However, the permits are limited to two per household.
Mr Franklin shares his flat with another bachelor. As a result, his flatmate cannot apply for a resident's permit. Mr al Zarooni says the restriction is a deliberate effort to discourage "illegal residence sharing". But some have found themselves unable to get a permit despite living with a group of people legally.
Like many single Arabs, Sabine Chedid lives with her parents and sister. Her sister "has to pay Dh15 a day, because we're only allowed two cars," she said. "They've simply added another problem to a problem we have."
Ms Chedid has been forced to park several blocks away and walk home in the dark, something that makes her uncomfortable as a woman. She now prefers to leave her car in a space in front of her flat, and take taxis everywhere.
Ibrahim Yousef Ramel, the chief executive of Saaed, a traffic company contracted by Abu Dhabi, blames drivers from outside the Mawaqif areas who come in to park after enforcement stops at 9pm. "This problem will be eliminated if all areas are covered with enforcement," he said.
The Department of Transport, of which Mawaqif is a subsidiary, stated last month that the city centre needs an extra 20,000 parking spaces, more than half of them in the Tourist Club.
To alleviate this, temporary car parks will be built in some of the few remaining vacant lots in Khalidiyah and the Tourist Club, and two automated car parks are planned for the Adnoc on Salam Street and in the Tourist Club near the Abu Dhabi Commercial Properties building on Al Falah street. The first of these should be ready by next summer.
That is not soon enough for Ms Chedid. "You charge us an arm and a leg for parking, and then you don't guarantee parking?"
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Fixtures
Sunday, December 8, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v USA
Monday, December 9, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – USA v Scotland
Wednesday, December 11, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v Scotland
Thursday, December 12, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v USA
Saturday, December 14, ICC Academy, Dubai – USA v Scotland
Sunday, December 15, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v Scotland
Note: All matches start at 10am, admission is free
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Jurassic%20Park
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5