Motorists in Dubai have to park in paid zones

Residents on the border town of Al Nahda in Dubai had benefitted from ample free parking, but not anymore.

The Road and Transport Authority (RTA) has marked out every parking spot, that was free, under the paid parking zones.

“This is a residential area and it’s unfair to make us pay for the parking. We have two cars, and the building allocates only one free parking slot. We are now forced to pay up,” protested a resident at the Al Safa building in the area.

Another resident added that even though the parking meters and zones were marked out in December last year, there was no notice informing them when the paid parking had kicked in.

“I had checked at the parking meters a couple of times but it wasn’t operational. So, I let it go. It’s only when I got a parking ticket two weeks ago that I realised that it was no longer free,” informed an irked resident, who didn’t wish to be named.

Another resident, again requesting anonymity, claimed that he had gone on holiday, only to return to be fined for parking without a ticket