The Sharjah Municipality has announced that effective from April 1, 2017, free parking in the afternoon will not be available for motorists in the emirate. Like in Dubai, besides Fridays and public holidays, parking will be charged from 8 am to 10 pm daily.
During the conversation with Khaleej Times, Salim Al Suwaidi, Director of Public Services Department at the Sharjah Municipality stated that this is Sharjah Municipal Council’s response to residents’ needs to prevent exploitation of parking areas, specifically in high-traffic areas such as shopping areas. He also added that the Municipality is keen to organise public parking spaces and provide alternate solutions for the residents.
“It has been noticed that there is a lack of parking spaces and many people find it very difficult to park their cars, as many people exploit the free timing to park their cars for long hours, which affects many commercial shops, whose customers find it very difficult to find space to go for shopping.”
Also, the Director of the Public Parking, Attif Al Zarouni, stated that the municipality provides solutions and best services to all residents in the Sharjah by facilitating other means of payments – motorists can now pay fees via SMS. The number to use is 5566.
They can also subscribe for 6 months or 1 year at any municipality costumer services centers within the city or industrial areas.
