Special 'parking permits' for Hoora, Gudaibiya residents

For the first time in Bahrain, residents of certain areas in the Capital will soon receive special stickers that would exempt them from paying for parking their vehicles at paid parking zones in their areas, it was recently confirmed.

This came in a reply by Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf to a parliamentary question raised by MP Adel Al Assoomy on the issue of parking spaces in Hoora and Gudaibiya areas in the eastern parts of the Capital.

Mr Khalaf confirmed that the Ministry has begun issuing stickers (parking permits) to exempt citizens living in Hoora and Gudaibiya areas from paying parking fees.   

Mr Al Assoomy, who represent both areas (first constituency in the Capital Governorate), has repeatedly criticised the Government’s decision to install parking meters in residential neighbourhoods, describing the action as “an unreasonable decision and was not thoroughly studied”, and demanding their immediate removal.

Mr Al Assoomy earlier submitted a parliamentary proposal to exempt the residents of both areas from paying the parking fees, and asked the minister if his ministry has any alternative mechanisms or parking spots for the residents of both areas.

“We are not against organising traffic movement in commercial areas, which is desirable because regulation is necessary, but arbitrariness and the lack of clarification of the mechanism for citizens is unacceptable. Citizens must not be troubled with new financial burdens and confusion should be avoided,” Mr Al Assoomy commented earlier.

In his reply to Mr Al Assoomy’s queries, Mr Khalaf confirmed that the ministry is applying a new system to issue special stickers for those exempted from paying parking fees.

The minister revealed that the system has been tested in Hoora and Gudaibiya, adding that the system will be generalised on all four governorates of the Kingdom.

“The ministry exempted the residents from paying the parking meters fees by issuing a special sticker for the residents to be placed inside the vehicle so that it is clear to traffic policemen, and this system is currently being applied for the first time in Gudaibiya and Hoora areas as a trial period. This procedure will be generalised to all governorates of the Kingdom,” the minister mentioned in his reply.

Mr Al Assoomy praised the move and demanded to swiftly implement it in all areas to serve citizens. A Bahraini resident of the area, who preferred to maintain anonymity, informed that they have heard about the proposed stickers, but they were not contacted by the authorities yet. Besides, it could not be verified if the plan includes non-Bahrainis, who form the majority of residents in the area.

Tribune earlier reported that citizens and residents living Hoora and Gudaibiya, which are two of the most congested areas in the Kingdom, expressed their rejection to the move to install parking meters right at their doorsteps, demanding the government to find an alternative solution.

As previously reported, the meters, which charge 200 fils per hour, 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.

According to the Traffic Law, violators of paid parking zones could be subjected to paying fines ranging from BD20 to BD100, in accordance with the repetition of the offence.