Many visitors of Hindawiyah district in downtown Jeddah caught off guard when they found their cars parked along the street were towed away by the company that manages parking facilities in the city. They had to pay huge fines to get back their cars. Ali Shahri had parked his car in front of a bank to complete a financial transaction. When he came back after 10 minutes, the car had disappeared. The bank's security guard informed him that the parking company had towed away the vehicle. "I parked car along the road because I did not see any board indicating it's a paid parking area," Shahri told Al-Hayat Arabic newspaper. He then went to the company's office to inquire about his car and was told that he had to pay a fine of SR200 for violating the law. He paid the amount and got back his car but had the feeling that he paid a fine without any genuine reason. "How can I know about the new parking system and the fine without any sign," he asked. Shahri was visiting the bank branch after a long break when the parking system had changed. Essam Raakouk, who lives in Hindawiyah, had another bad experience to share. When he approached the company to renew his parking subscription he was surprised to learn that the amount has been doubled from SR300 to SR600. He subscribed to the parking facility a year ago to avoid keeping his car along the public road. He said the company increased the charge without considering the financial condition of people living in the district as most of them are from the limited income group. The parking facility was considered a blessing by the residents as it was difficult for them to take their cars home because of the narrow streets in the district. It also helped stop haphazard parking of vehicles by motorists. "Of course the parking system has reduced congestion on the roads but the charge is very high, which most of us cannot afford. My monthly salary is only SR4,000. I have to pay house rent and meet all other expenses of the eight-member family, in addition to the SR600 parking fee," he explained. Ahmed Abdu, another resident, said the parking fee has increased his financial burden. He has to pay for the parking space of two cars and seriously thinking to leave the district — where he has been residing for half a century — to rent a house with free parking in another district. "For the last one year I have been paying SR600 as parking fee for my car and that of my son and now they are demanding SR1,200 monthly," he told the daily. Adel Kamil has decided to overcome the new parking system introduced by the municipality by parking his car in a far off place and taking a taxi to reach his home paying SR5. This will bring the total monthly taxi fare to SR300, which is half of the new parking charge of SR600. "I thought this is a better option than renewing the parking subscription," said Kamil, who supports a big family with his monthly salary of SR3,500. Meanwhile, an informed source at Jeddah Municipality said the decision to double the parking fee by the company was a violation of the agreement. "SR300 is the ideal fee and we have informed the company that the fee hike was a violation," he added. He refuted the allegation that parking fee was imposed without informing the public. "We have installed a number of boards along the roads to inform the public about paid parking areas. We have also publicized the system through newspapers and the social media networks." The source said the mayoralty introduced the system to provide enough parking facilities for visitors and shoppers in downtown Jeddah, including the historical region, Hindawiyah, Bab Makkah, Makkah Road, King Khaled Road, under the King Fahd Flyover and along the streets of the city center. The project aims at providing parking along 38 streets with a total area of 58.6 sq. km. "We have already provided parking facility on 27 streets with a total area of 30 sq. km," he said. The source disclosed plans to expand the facility covering many other roads. "The project will help organize traffic in the city and prevent haphazard parking of vehicles. It will create more space for shoppers and pedestrians," he explained. The project will help provide quick access to Civil Defense and Red Crescent vehicles to targeted sites during emergencies, he added.
