As Muscat municipality introduces a paid-parking scheme across the capital, Alvin Thomas finds there are mixed reactions to the plan
Picture this: you head out to buy your favourite weekly treat from the popular Omani Halwa shop in Ghubra. Of course, you take your car. And in an almost miraculous turn of events, you find a parking spot immediately and head inside the shop.
You pay the shopkeeper for your halwa and head back to your car, happy that your errand hasn’t taken as long this time. But as you approach your car, you notice something on the windshield. You groan – it’s a parking ticket.
If you’ve been to Ruwi, you’d know that this is an everyday scenario. However, making their way to Azaiba, Ghubra, and Seeb this year are paid-parking meters – and they are impossible to miss.
Wrapped in cardboard and plastic, these are boxes you will be spending time and money on.
“For the past few months, I have been seeing workers installing grey meters across Azaiba and Ghubra,” says Nasser, a shopkeeper from Azaiba. “They have been wiring the machines down and covering them with cardboard boxes for some sort of a grand unveiling,” he says.
In truth, it is a lack of awareness about the project that is causing a lot of confusion among residents of the capital. What Nasser and many others have spotted are the new parking meters that are due to begin operations soon.
Currently being installed in parts of Azaiba, Ghubra and around Seeb Souq, this initiative is expected to help counter the effects of low oil prices that have made a dent in government coffers. But in the wake of the oil crisis, many are asking if purchasing and operating these expensive machines is the answer to bridging the budget deficit. Or is there another reason behind these parking meters?
Newer paid parking machines have touch interface.
For starters, the blue parking meters that have for years served areas such as Ruwi, the Muttrah Business District (MBD), CBD and Wadi Kabir will be pushed aside by the newer machines that are more advanced and flexible in terms of payment options and user-friendliness. Residents will be treated to newer technologies such as touch-enabled screens and faster processing of tickets. Also, payments can now be made by coins, bank notes or even contactless bankcards, such as PayPass and Visa, and Near Field Communication (NFC) for Apple Pay.
This move, however, has seen fairly mixed views from the public on the feasibility of pay-and-park services in residential areas.
“Parking meters are a menace,” says Taariq, a student from Ghubra. “If these parking meters are going to be placed in front of my building, then I will have to search for some other parking spot away from these meters,” he adds: “I cannot afford to pay one rial daily for a month when my pocket money is less than 50 rials.”
Students such as Taariq are not the only ones who have developed an aversion towards the new parking meters. Ayub Mohammed, the owner of a bookshop in Ghubra, says he is furious about the new parking meters.
“I am not happy to pay for parking in any part of Oman,” Ayub says. “This is my country and I should not be made to pay for using the services I am promised as a Omani.”
Ayub adds that the implementation of paid-parking services at times of financial instability caused by increasing taxes and fuel prices are going to hurt him and that it is an “unacceptable waste of money”.
Ameen al Balushi owns a coffee shop in Azaiba. Pointing towards the not yet active parking meter adjacent to his shop, he says that asking his customers to pay for parking near his business is an appalling move from the authorities.
“The majority of my business comes from people stopping for coffees or sodas,” he says. “My customers are not going to come to my store if I ask them to pay for parking.”
Harish, a store manager at a shopping centre in Azaiba, is also against the move, asking the authorities to step up and execute a plan that prohibits charging people when availing services from small businesses.
“Asking small grocery stores and coffee shops to pay for the customer’s parking would be unfair,” he says. “The municipality should come up with a plan that would exclude small businesses and target bigger and established companies around Oman.”
Currently, Muscat Municipality offers passes starting from RO5 for monthly parking. Additionally, residents can also opt for a RO10 pack that allows them to park in two locations, or for RO10, avail hassle-free parking across the Sultanate for one month.
Meanwhile, residents of Ghubra and Ruwi say that officials frequently conduct checks on vehicles parked in pay-and-park zones, in which offenders are hit with a RO3 fine if they haven’t paid for their parking.
While the new parking meters have garnered some criticism, others are also supportive of the scheme. Welcoming the new parking system, Mohammed Ehab, a computer engineer who lives in Ghubra, says it is a good idea.
“Coming back home after a 10-hour shift only to find no parking near my building is really irritating,” says Mohammed. “Once these meters start billing, I think people will be a little more considerate and park elsewhere.”
Deepu Pillai, a manager at Al Maha International Hotel in Ghubra, agrees and says his company is ready to welcome the paid-parking service in the areas surrounding his hotel.
“Some drivers park their cars and vans in our parking for days at a stretch,” Deepu tells Y. “The introduction of parking meters in this region will surely get rid of these people.”
He adds that his company will be happy to pay the monthly parking fee of RO5. “Yes, the parking fees will cost a few hundred more rials, but having our vehicles close to our hotel means we don’t need to park elsewhere,” he says.
New parking meters should reduce parking offenders.
A walk around Seeb Souq also reveals happy shopkeepers, who tell Y that the parking meters will rid the area of owners of cars who park for long hours adjacent to shops.
“For years, we have been asking the Municipality to fix the parking problem in the souq,” says Haider, who owns a watch shop. “These parking meters will surely solve our problem as people will not leave their cars for long without thinking twice.”
Suresh, another shop owner in the souq, says he wants to see the Municipality tighten the fines imposed on parking offenders. “I don’t mind if the authorities increase the fines from RO3 to RO10,” he says.
Earlier last month, Muscat Municipality released a proposal to hike parking rates across all areas of all governorates from 50 baisa to 100 baisa for 30 minutes. It also planned an increase in fees for drivers using SMS parking services from 60 baisa to 100 baisa for 30 minutes.
Speaking to local media recently, an official from Muscat Municipality said it was looking to increase parking fines from RO3 to RO5, adding that some motorists pay for 30 minutes or an hour but keep the car parked all day. “For such a violation, the fine has been proposed at RO5,” he was quoted as saying. “It has been proposed that fines for non-payment of parking fees will be raised from RO3 to RO10.”
Y contacted Muscat Municipality to ask about the launch of the paid-parking scheme, but had not received a reply at the time of going to press.
While the real reason behind the new parking meters is to stratify parking within the governorates, people are also raising questions about the RO3 fine imposed on wrongdoers. “Is three rials a deterrent to the parking situation in the country?” asks Abraham, a part-time student in the UK who now works in Baushar. “In countries like the UK and Germany, the fines for a parking incident can be close to 40 euros [RO18].”
Aside from the heavier fines, Abraham says that the towing and clamping of vehicles are methods of penalising parking offenders in the UK. He recalls an instance when he had to retrieve his vehicle from the police after it was towed away because his relative had parked in a spot for the disabled.
Shopkeepers in Seeb are happy to welcome parking meters.
However, some are already hailing the service as a “hit” because it could potentially encourage more people to use the public bus system, which would mean fewer cars on the roads.
Saji Mathew, a former resident of Dubai who now lives in Muscat, says the paid-parking system is one of the best ways to get people to use public transport.
“I believe Oman’s attempts at introducing Mwasalat and now paid-parking systems roughly at the same time as a move by the Municipality to get people to use the public transport system more often,” Saji says.
Many residents are also happy about the scheme, saying it will help improve the parking structure in congestion-prone residential areas.
Issa Said, a former government employee, says the implementation of parking fees in areas such as Seeb and Azaiba could be a move to clean up parking lots from illegal second-hand car dealers and private owners parking their heavy vehicles.
Hunain, the owner of a used-car showroom in Azaiba, says he sees the parking meters as a good move by the Municipality to crackdown on illegal car dealers who don’t pay taxes or showroom rent. “In areas such as Seeb and Ruwi, you can see a lot of unregistered dealers selling vehicles to the public,” he says.
Oman is not the first country in the GCC to implement mandatory paid parking. Countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia adopted paid-parking services years ago; while hi-tech paid parking is currently being expanded across Qatar. However, as Oman enters a new era of paid parking, it is still too soon to judge if the service will be a success. But love it or hate it, it is safe to say that paid parking is here to stay.
HOW TO PAY FOR YOUR PARKING:
Blue Meters:
(The blue meters only accept 25 and 50 baisa coins as payment.)
Step 1: Select language on the button next to screen.
Step 2: Put coins (25 or 50 baisa).
Step 3: Select desired time: press the Blue button for
every 30 minutes you want to add to your parking ticket.
Step 4: Press the Green button to receive ticket.
Step 5: Place ticket carefully on the top of the carís
dashboard to avoid confusion, which could result in a fine.
Grey Meters:
The grey meters accept coins, bank notes, cards and NFC payment. They are due to begin service soon.
Step 1: Select language on touch screen.
Step 2: Use bank note, coins, contactless banking card or Apple
Pay for payment.
Step 3: Select desired time for parking from screen.
Step 4: Press the Green button to receive ticket.
Step 5: Place ticket carefully on the top of the carís dashboard to avoid confusion, which could result in a fine.
Mobile Parking Service:
Step 1: Enter your Car Number and Car Code (registration number) followed by duration required in minutes (in multiples of 30 to a maximum of 300) as the following e.g. 1234 AB 30.
Step 2: Send the message to 90091, following which you will receive a confirmation message including the time that has been reserved for your car parking.
Step 3: For inquiries about the remaining time, send ìTIMEî to 90091.
Cost: The cost of every SMS parking is 60 baisa per 30
minutes.
For help about how to use mobile parking service, send ìHELPî to 90091.
Five minutes before your parking-ticket expires, you will receive a reminder message.
iMuscat Service (Apple iPhone users only):
In addition to the SMS services, Apple iPhone users can download the iMuscat application to pay for parking.
Users will have to register a free account with the Muscat Municipality before using the services of the application.
Step 1: Select the time required in hours and minutes using the graphical interface.
Step 2: Click send. This will send a message to Muscat Municipalityís SMS gateway. You may have to confirm any additional dialogues that appear on your screen.
Step 3: You will receive a message of confirmation and a message five minutes prior to expiration.
The iMuscat Service allows users to find their cars using the ‘Where I Parked’ feature.
PAID PARKING ACROSS GCC
Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) charges as much as AED2 (200 baisa) for 30 minutes of parking, while zone-seasonal parking tickets can range from AED1,400 (RO140) to AED8,000 (RO800) annually.
Abu Dhabiís Mawaqif service runs 24 hours a day, year-round. The parking service was introduced in the UAEís capital in 2010.
Saudi Arabiaís Mawgif service extends to on-street parking, car parks and airport parking. Prices for availing paid-parking services in Dammam and Alkhobar costs SAR2 (200 baisa) per hour.
Countries such as Kuwait and Bahrain incorporate long- and short-term parking schemes in airports.
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