Parking woes get worse
By Sarmad Qazi
Introduction of paid parking in some of the most frequented areas in Doha has resulted in motorists taking up whatever free space is available nearby, causing congestion on side streets and alleys in the city.
“Parking a car was never a problem in our area before even though it lies in the heart of Doha,” a man living close to the Arab Bank Roundabout said yesterday.
“But introduction of paid parking at Souq Waqif has resulted in motorists occupying all the space near our home, making driving a nightmare in our neighbourhood,” he said.
Souq Waqif, visited by thousands every day, has introduced a nominal parking fee (QR3 per entry) after Eid al-Fitr last year.
“Uncontrolled parking often reduces the two-lane road near our house to a narrow alley, requiring extreme effort to get a vehicle in or out,” the resident fumed.
The chronic parking problem of Doha has been exacerbated recently thanks to the surge in the city’s population as well as the increase in the number of residents owning more than one vehicle. According to Traffic Department figures, a staggering 10,000 new vehicles hit the country’s roads every month.
To avoid gridlocks, locations such as airport and souqs have introduced paid parking.
The Doha International Airport introduced paid parking in 2004 but allows free parking for 15 minutes (afterwards QR4 per hour). Motorists not willing to shell out the fee occupy the space all around the airport mosque, blocking parking to people going to the immigration office nearby.
“Scores of illegal taxi operators hang out in the area for potential passengers. They take up all the space available, making it difficult for people who want to visit the airport immigration office for genuine needs,” a bank’s mandoob maintained.
“Qatar has seen an explosion in the number of vehicles on its roads. It is almost impossible to get a parking space anywhere near offices or souqs in Doha,” another resident complained.
“Residential complexes which provide parking facility to tenants generally offer space for one vehicle but many families own three vehicles or more,” he added.
City Center Doha is likely to introduce a paid parking system next month.
Most of its 1,600 parking spaces are now taken up by people who work in offices nearby as many of the buildings in the area do not have enough parking, according to the mall management.
Mall director Christoph Von Oelhafen, however, said that although charged parking would be introduced soon, the shopping centre did not wish to charge its customers.
well, it has to be seen as to finally when the project picks up in doha and if it helps to solve the parking problem..:)
however, it would definitely help some residents to commute to their offices and back.
hope for the best..
@ rishimba,i didn't say anything about the project finishing anytime soon & anyways date of completion officially alone is 2016 so it could & most likely will take longer than that,but the time frame of the project isn't the point of disussion here..."the heat"???,FYI the metro will be fully airconditioned mate...sorry,but i don't see any link @ all between a metro system & personal religious beliefs,so you'll have to elaborate on that one...they walk 10-15 mins. to the nearest station in London or NYC,my sister & her husband drive 5 mins. to the nearest station in Dubai,which has a multi-storey car park free to use for metro passengers,sure as hell beats over an hour stuck in a jam all the way to work doesn't it?...again,the station needn't be in walking distance because not a lot of people are going to be walking to the station,except in the cooler months,so even a 5min. car ride will be more than acceptable to a lot of people,so there's not going to be a lot of walking involved mate,more like,drive own car to metro station,take metro,get off @ required station & hop into cab outside metro station for the short hop to work,STILL beats crawling on Salwa road doesn't it?...it's not the price of petrol that hurting car users mate,it's the valuable amount of time WASTED sitting in traffic,taking an hour to get to a destination that ideally should be 15mins. away,that's 45 mins. of lost time...on a DAILY basis...so what % of the population do the locals make up mate? which segment is the majority in this country?...people like you & me who will use the metro,that's the largest demographic mate,they may not admit it but Govt. of this country doesn't expect the locals to be using the metro anytime soon & if & when they do,a ladies only carriage/s is a fairly simple solution to the issue...they have the money mate,it doesn't have to be "commercially viable",it's about global recognition & accpetance...nobody said the Dubai metro would solve the parking problem,it's meant to EASE the problem,the Doha metro once up & running won't REMOVE all traffic from the roads or PREVENT jams,it will EASE them,which means if you choose not to take the metro,you'll get stuck in a jam but a MUCH smaller one & might end up wasting only half an hour where otherwise you'd have lost an hour...the project hasn't started because this is Doha mate,slow & steady wins the race is a mantra these guys firmly believe in eh? *wink*!! do we need to even get into how long projects take to get off the ground & get to completion in this country?...
They should charge for parking in Souq Waqif and in all the Malls. Simply, if you are broke dont go out.
The number of Karwa should be INCREASED to at least triple the current number and their charges per km should drop.
rishimba ...good discussion....
"but walking in the heat and humidity for 10 minutes x 4 times a day .... would discourage the people from going in the metro.."....this is just assumption. It may be correct it may be not...
If this was correct the Mowasalat buses would be running empty!....Right now Mowasalat buses are supposed to carry only the least number of passenger (as their route-length are small and they never intersect other Mowasalat bus route).
If Mowasalat can run buses as I have mentioned above the collection could easily double!!!
Right now these buses are acting like "feeder buses of Dubai" they perform only in a limited area and that too the route is too circuitous and time consuming.
The buses have to go the shortest route from Point A to Point B. Right now it is doing the opposite.
Also the population of Doha is going to increase manifold....
and everyday the population is and will be burning more and more subsided fuel in their car....this is a resource that is slowly being burnt away....
The concern should be multiplied many times over as this is the only resource they have!
deepb and gadarene..it seems its becomming a nice debate now..i am loving it..:)
as per the link, the construction of the phase one should have started last year..that is in 2009.
i dont see any construction in doha of this nature..do you know about it..?
the problem with doha is actually the intense heat and the conservative islamic culture..which will come in the way of making a railway system successful..
first, even walking for about 10 or 15 minutes in london or new york to reach the railway station or office from the junctions is usual amongst residents..
if the railway system has to benifit many people, the junctions have to be at least withing 10 minutes of walking distance of the people's apartment..
but walking in the heat and humidity for 10 minutes x 4 times a day ( i have assumed that offices are also about 10 minutes away from the terminus ).. would discourage the people from going in the metro..
moreover, the price of petrol is less here compared to the purchasing power of the people.. thus using cars doesnt hurt them.
lastly, due to the conservativeness of the nationals, they will probably never travel in a metro with their families.
doha is a small circular city and making an intense metro system in such a small city is not commercially viable even in the long run..
probably, owing to the above reasons, the proposal is under hold...otherwise it should have started by now.
in dubai, no doubt many people are travelling by metro but the parking problems are still there.
Just in case you didn't know about the metro system planned already - http://www.qatarliving.com/node/65677
@ rishimba,residents of cities with a good public transport network aren't "stopped" from buying cars mate,they don't do it out of choice,plus they pay high taxes for it,we don't have the taxes here but don't you think that A LOT of expats,if given a choice,would save that EMI on their car loan & send it back home or use it instead to pay an EMI on a house or property back home?...look around you,those empty grounds where people park haphazardly now can be turned into multi-storey car parks to accomodate 3 or more times the number of cars those grounds currently accomodate?...the expats would sell their cars to other expats who would buy a 2nd hand car cheaper rather than buy a new car,the point here is,that is ONE LESS NEW VEHICLE being added onto the city's roads,the point is to keep down the numbers being added on mate,NOT what to do with the cars already on the roads...as for "feasability",i stand by what i said earlier,if Dubai can do it,so can Doha,yes it will cause inconvenience during the construction period but really,how much worse can it get than what we're already facing with the road works?...an intra-city metro system isn't & doesn't have to be exclusive to a big city,there's no reason whatsoever why a city with the immense resources that Doha has SHOULDN'T build one...& like i said earlier,the Govt. wants to establish Doha as a global capital & they want to be taken seriously on the global level,in order to do that,they must first have the prerequisites in place & a good,efficient,multiple mode(interlinked bus/taxi/train or metro) transport network is amongst the most if not the most important prerequisite?(think Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 bid mate)...question if i may,how many emiratis do you think use the metro?...right,not too many but Dubai is now the 1st gulf city with a metro & the world's 1st drivereless one @ that,you do realize how much that boosts their credibility on a global level? same reason here mate plus the expats who constitute a majority of the population will benefit from it AND the Govt. makes money,you don't pay for every trip you make in your car except for the highly subsidized petrol,this way,you pay 3-5 bucks per trip,doesn't hurt you too much @ the same time,for the Govt. that 3-5 bucks per person per trip adds up to a fair amount @ the end of the day,it's a win-win situation,why not?...
1. You don't need to stop people from buying cars. If you reduce the number of cars during rush hour, that solves a lot of traffic and parking problems.
2. See 1
3. See 1 again - No need to sell the cars. We are talking about reducing traffic and parking problems during rush hour.
4. Yes, if it takes you 10 minutes to reach work instead of 2 hours.
5 and 6. Metro Construction already planned and underway. How good it will be or if its just a farce like the public bus system is out there for anyone to guess.
Next questions please :)
some questions..
- can you stop the cars coming to the city from the showrooms? that is, can you stop people from buying cars?
- even if you reduce it, do you have the space enough in the city to accommodate more parking areas?
- whome will the expats sell the cars to?? the cars would again be used by someone else in the same country.
- will the nationals and the affluent expats stop using their cars?
- is it feasible to construct such highly intensive network of intra-city railway system in a small city like doha..considering the areas of construction needed and road stoppages or bifurcations needed? how long this may take, some 3 years or more..
- will the government undertake such a step considering that only the expats are likely to benifit out of it?
i have more questions... first answer these..lol
@ rishimba,you've lived in Dubai till july '09,the metro commenced operation on the 9th of September,so really mate,the fact that you lived in Dubai for 6 years or 60 years BEFORE the metro started is completely irrelevant to this discussion...the whole purpose of an effective metro is to have multiple stations covering most residential areas,so if the one in Doha is to be a good one,there ought to be a station close or much closer to your home than your work place is...parking problems are MASSIVE in Dubai,no one's doubting that but the fact of the matter remains that a significant % of metro users have cars & if they're not using those cars,that's so many less cars vying for that one parking spot...
I say again,those people can take the metro to work in Al Khor & back & they can ALSO ride the metro from their homes to shop @ villagio or city centre or have dinner @ souq waqif...it can & is being done in MOST global capitals around the world my friend & those countries didn't even have the immense resources that Qatar has,so it's definitely possible to completely replace owning a car...
thousands of cars and hundreds of buses are plying everyday from doha to al khor, ras laffan, dukhan, abu nakla, wakrah, messaied and other work stations..
these people are all staying in the city and in the evenings they come out for social outings in their cars.
these people cant do without a vehicle of their own..
If there was an effective Bus Transport system...I would sell my car in a heartbeat....and invest the money back home....
It wouldnt be easy and comfortable....but I would for sure.
Doha has a bus system but:
1. Its only goes around certain areas in circles....and
2. Does short distances within 10kms (if you take the further-est point).
3. They never run on the C, D or E ring road forget.
4. They do not have intersecting points.
5. I think all buses should pass near HMC, Airport, Immigration & Medical Commission, Aspire etc at some point in their journey.
6. The minimum distance a public transport should run should be at least 50Km.
Buses that run Doha to wakrah or Doha to Al Khor is not much good. It should have been Wakrah to Al khor even that doesnt make 100Km!!!
Also there should have been Al Khor to Dukhan & Wakrah to Dukhan.
Come on Doha is such a tiny city...it shouldn't be so hard to connect one end to the other!!!
people who stay near and work close to metro stations can avail the services and only a small percentage of people would be benifitted..
others will still take their own cars or pool cars, if possible, as they wouldnt like to walk in the heat or change the vehicles..
i have stayed in dubai for the last 6 years till last july..
do you mean to say that the parking problems are no more in dubai?? you must be joking !!
@ rishimba,both the segments of society you mentioned DO NOT constitute a majority of Qatar's population...the nationals & the unskilled workers aren't a majority...the majority are middle-class expats,be they Asian,Arab or any other nationality MANY of whom would love not having to drive to work & having to leave home an hour or so early to get to work,when they can drive or even car pool to the nearest metro station,grab the morning paper & reach work unstressed & having read the day's newspaper & ready to start work & like i said,people are doing it & doing it effectively in Dubai next door so there's absolutely no reason whatsoever why it can't happen here...as for being commercially feasible,what exactly is your definition of commercial feasability? The Govt. of Qatar certainly doesn't need to rely on quick returns from ticket sales on the metro or the railway to pay back loans they've taken to actually build the network unlike other countries...eventually it will pay for itself but like i said,the Govt. isn't in a hurry for that,what they're in a hurry to do is establish themselves as a global capital & no city can earn that without a fully-functional multiple mode public transport system...a global city is one where a person can do without a car,be it New York,London or Singapore or even Dubai,so they're not going to spare any expense toward that aim & as we're well aware,they have AMPLE financial resources to undertake this project,so why not?...people don't use Karwa buses because the network they cover is PATHETIC to say the least & one can't blame them,this city was never built with a public bus transport network in mind...the rail project however is coming up from scratch,just like Dubai & they'll definitely want to one-up on Dubai,which had MANY critics & people saying these exact same things about it being a desert city & it being commercially unviable etc...today,the Dubai Metro is up & running & it's a real joy to ride it,the trains aren't super fast but they don't need to be,one still covers the same distance in less than half the time it would take by road during the day...similarily & as deepb correctly pointed out,if you had the option to ride a nice train that would take half the time,WITHOUT you having to drive bumper to bumper,wouldn't you choose that option?...
theoretically, it would certainly make a difference..however, its not a viable solution considering the reasons i have stated above..
some expatriates other than labours definitely have their own vehicles and are part of the problem for which i have suggested strict enforcement of proper parking rules and fines on violation of the same.
I strongly believe a "good and efficient" public transport system - say a metro rail network would make a difference.
How can you assume that a major portion of the expatriates are laborers and hence don't affect the traffic and parking problems? At any one time if you compare the ratio of Expatriate driven cars on the road to Qatari driven cars , you will realize the expatriates outnumber Qatari driven vehicles quite easily.
The public transport you have in the country currently is nothing short of a joke. If the system were efficient, then most people would use it, irrespective of being an expatriate or a local. Having a vehicle at home does not mean it needs to be used all the time. If using the public transport meant shaving of an hour or more of commute from your day to day life, which would you use?
every investment in the country is based on its commercial feasibility..
the condition of roads in the industrial area is dismal..but who cares..thats because the government is getting its revenue from dukhan, messaied and ras laffan and they forget that these contractors in the industrial area are feeding the refineries to earn revenue for the country....do you think a monarchy like this would invest on a metro?
in a place like qatar...which is a desert, establishing a network of intra-city railway system would be very expensive and thus not commercially feasible....as we already know that karwa buses are just operating in half their capacity and there are very few people who are taking them on a regular basis..
nationals have 2 to 3 cars in one family and they would never go for any other mode of transportation..
a major portion of the expats are labours and they depend on the company transport system...they dont have cars and thus dont contribute to the parking problems..
the parking problem is caused mainly because of the lack of foresight and planning when doha was set-up as a city. this city was made for a limited population and so not many parking areas have been constructed.
the taxies in doha are pretty expensive but i hear that karwa is running a loss....so why the government would invest more on public transport?
the parking problem is mainly due to lack of parking spaces and one cannot increase them any more. on the other hand, one cannot stop the influx of cars into the city from the show rooms..
thus, the only practical solution is having tolls, fines, making multi-storyed parking spaces which should be chargeable to recover their cost of construction.
one cannot compare doha with other cities like new york or london.
rishimba - Effective Public transport systms have sold these issues in many cities in the world.
Easy solution: don't allow anybody to drive a car older than 2 years. :P
Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.
@ rishimba,quite clearly mate,you have never lived in a city with EFFECTIVE public transport,may is suggest London or Singapore? FYI,there are loads of young,professional people in both these cities whom i know personally who can WELL AFFORD their own vehicle but CHOOSE NOT TO own one simply because of the other hassles involved,i.e high taxes,high cost of petrol,finding a parking spot,getting stuck in traffic etc...why venture that far,let's consider the very Dubai you mentioned,my sister lives & works there & both she & her husband only drive 5 mins. to work,i.e the 5 mins. it takes them from their apartment to the metro station,where they then take the metro to & from work,that's two cars less on Sh.Zayed road that i know of,can you imagine how many hundreds/thousands more there are like that? good effective public transport DOES make a difference my friend...
i fully agree with the 2nd half of your post though,about having multi-storeyed car parks & strictly enforcing the rules...
its a common problem with any expanding or developing city where a number of cars are being added to the traffic every day..
public transport may not actually solve the problem..as people who like to own cars would never take the public transport. this we have seen in all developed countries where the public transport system is much better.
dubai has got far more number of cars in the city and they have dealt with this problem very well..
nearly all public parking spaces are paid with strict surveillance and the fines are heavy for illegal parking.
they have made multi-storyed parking spaces in busy areas so that people make better use of the space. people who like to own cars have to pay the toll and also parking charges for the number of hours parked.
doha municipality should emulate what other cities like singapore and dubai have done to handle the unavoidable increase in traffic.
Lack of proper public transport is the real worry. If it really was a viable option to use public transport, half the problem would be solved.
no public transport worth speaking of...towers coming up by the dozen with insufficient parking...10,000 new vehicles added to the roads every month,while road works projects drag on for years with no end in sight,with the current road network being rendered insufficient probably a few years ago...is it any surprise things are the way they are?...
Parking in one of the malls was made free as long as you do not exceed 4 hours on week days as employees used to park their cars and take the metro.
So up to 4 hours is enough to do you shopping but if you park more than that you pay ..
I think this is fair ..
"The best way to predict the future is to create it".
I say make it paid parking with reimbursement of the amount on purchases at the shopping complex. That way you don't charge your paying customers for parking.