DELIVERY drivers and riders taking up public car parking spaces during the day when they are waiting around for meal-time business to start could soon be forced to put coins in meters or else risk being fined.
The Muharraq Municipal Council yesterday unanimously approved a proposal to install new meters on busy commercial streets in the governorate after witnessing a dramatic increase in the number of vehicles blocking areas during their downtime.
Failure to pay for the parking period, or the absence of parking time papers on the windshield, will see tickets issued by the General Directorate of Traffic.
Council chairman Abdulaziz Al Naar has also proposed that open government grounds in residential areas, often occupied by delivery drivers, get numbered and divided for the exclusive use of nationals paying a minimal monthly fee.
He has directed the relevant committee to review his proposal for test implementation in Old Muharraq.
“Commercial streets in any place in the country should be dynamic, meaning that items are unloaded and uploaded, customers shop up to two or three hours, people pick up food items or clothes,” said Mr Al Naar.
“What they are not meant for is being used as personal parking spaces for delivery drivers round the clock, it is not a station.
“Reasonable car parking should be made available for up to a maximum of three hours and used for actual shoppers.
“This is not happening at the moment as delivery drivers encroach commercial streets forcing shoppers to park on the pavement, in the middle of the road, or far away, while they enjoy an unfair ‘comfort zone’.”
He believes the practice would only end when pay meters were installed.
“I don’t like to have people paying even a single fils, but if it would create organisation, free up space and end the illegal occupation of spaces, then pay meters maybe the only solution available,” added Mr Al Naar.
“Unfortunately, there appear to be more delivery drivers on commercial streets than customers, and, hopefully, the meters would help put an end to customers’ misery.
“Also, we could review a proposal to have government plots currently used as personal car parking spaces by expatriates in residential areas freed up, by allocating them for nationals for minimal fees, like BD5 monthly.”
Meters are already installed across the Old Muharraq Suq.
Meanwhile, the council’s public utilities and environment affairs committee chairman and Arad councillor Ahmed Al Meghawi suggested that the meters be introduced in Arad’s commercial district, blocks 240-241.
“The responsible authorities need to know the suffering Arad shoppers go through getting adequate car parking because delivery drivers occupy most car parks if not all in the commercial district,” he said.
“Let’s bring the meters to Arad and assess if things improve or not.
“At the moment, there are lots of complaints, and no solutions presented.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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