Residents of Gudabiya and Hoora are angry on expatriates .Do you know why ?

Residents of Hoora and Gudaibiya areas in the eastern parts of the Capital are at swords’ points with the authorities following the installation of parking meters in their localities a few months ago.  

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The metres which charge 200 fils per vehicle disallow parking in the same spot for more than two hours and the residents say    the move has added to their parking ordeal, which is now more than a decade old.

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According to them, finding a parking lot is not an easy task in these highly-populated neighbourhoods and the authorities have hardly done anything to fix the problem.       

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MP Adel Al Assoomy, who represents the area, lashed out at the officials of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry and the General Directorate of Traffic in the Interior Ministry for installing parking meters.

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On January 30, the Council of Representatives reviewed an urgent proposal submitted by Mr Al Assoomy, who demanded the Government to immediately remove the meters, not only in Hoora and Gudaibiya, but from all residential areas across the Kingdom.

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Threatening to hold the official behind the installation of meters accountable before the Council, the furious MP said, "How could they even think of such a move. This is an unreasonable decision and was not thoroughly studied. It contributes to creating countless social issues."

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"Such devices should be placed at commercial and public areas, not at the doorsteps of citizens' homes. Similar moves push citizens out of the old areas in Bahrain. No one would live in an area where they are charged for parking their vehicles near their homes for at least six to 10 hours a day.

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“How come we reached this point where citizens should pay fees even in front of their homes?," the MP remarked, while demanding the government to authorise Bahraini citizens to reserve the parking spots near their residences.

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In his speech before the council on that day, Mr Al Assoomy hinted that expats and private companies are part of the problem, stating that they occupy most of the parking spaces in old areas, including Hoora, Gudaibiya and Al Fadhil in Central Manama.

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He added while requesting his fellow legislators to pass the proposal, "We should have strategic goals that include conserving old areas, which are being evacuated by citizens because of such inappropriate behaviours, practices and decisions." The majority of MPs voted for the proposal.

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Mr Al Assoomy said he has taken up the issue with authorities, who are studying his suggestion to exempt certain categories from meters. “I believe a mechanism to implement an adequate solution would be announced soon.”  

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Expats ‘part of the problem’

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Speaking to Tribune, Bahraini Ali Makli, who works in private sector, said he’s not happy with the move. He blamed the situation on the increasing number of expats living in the neighbourhood. "This entire situation is caused by the foreigners living in the area, especially those of Asian nationalities."

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"Many of them live as groups in a single apartment. Having six people living in one flat, while each of them own a vehicle has surely worsened the existing issue of limited parking spaces in the area.”

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"Additionally, they park their cars and don’t move them for days, especially during weekends. Some of them occupy parking spaces from Thursday to Sunday. This is unacceptable as Bahraini residents of Hoora don’t have any place to park their vehicles. This creates problems between the residents too, usually leading to verbal and even physical disputes between them. \

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“Because of these issues that are caused by the huge numbers of foreigners living in the area, many families, particularly Bahrainis, have left to other areas," he added.

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Additional expenses

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Suhail Salim generally parks his car in an open yard formed after the demolition of an old building in Hoora. Like Mr Makli, he too is very much upset with the parking meters.  

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"I park my car here these days, even though it's far from where I live. We have repeatedly complained about these new meters that were fixed all over the area lately. I would have to pay more than BD1 for parking my car for around six hours a day.

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“Now I have to move my car from the paid parking zone more than one time, because I would be fined by the traffic cops if I leave it at the same spot for more than two hours. I am a student and can't bear all these expenses," he said.

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The Bahraini said he would often hesitate to get out of the car thinking he would lose the parking space and even thinks of going to college on foot.   

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Mr Salim’s neighbour Yaqoub Ahmed has a suggestion. "Free parking spaces for two cars should be given to each Bahraini family in the area."

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Shedding light on the another side of the struggle, Mr Yaqoub said, "It's absolutely unacceptable that our sisters and daughters are forced to park far away near Exhibitions Avenue and have to walk long distances, at late hours sometimes, to reach home, while a non-Bahraini bachelor is occupying the parking space. We demand a solution. Spaces must be allocated for Bahraini families staying in the area to park their cars."

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"Many social issues are born as a result of no parking spaces. We can’t accept a foreigner parking his car at the entrance of our house. It's shameful. We have no privacy."

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 A Solution

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Anwar, who prefers to be identified with his first name, is a resident of Gudaibiya. He said the lack of parking spaces has been a decade old problem for both citizens and expats.  

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He is of the view that Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry has worsened the issue by installing the parking meters in the middle of residential areas, and also prohibiting residents from reserving the spaces near their homes, be it by placing steel poles or other objects.

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Anwar’s suggestion to authorities is to avoid residents in these  neighbourhoods from paying fees, while outsiders could be charged.

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"The General Directorate should utilise its modern technologies to solve the issue. Traffic policemen could easily use the number plates of the vehicle to verify if the driver lives in the area or not. Those living in the same block shouldn’t be fined, because they park for long hours near their homes. But I believe that it wouldn’t be harmful if visitors could spare a couple of coins to benefit from a parking spot in such a busy area."

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