The difficulty of finding “parking lots” in Dubai leads drivers to commit violations and increase traffic congestion

A number of drivers in Dubai have repeatedly complained of their inconvenience regarding the difficulty of finding parking in vital areas, noting that they are sometimes forced to circle repeatedly around the same place in search of a vacant parking space in a trip that may extend to about a full hour during peak periods and weekends, which consumes their time and increases pressure and traffic congestion in those locations.

They told Emirates Al-Youm that this problem forces them to park in places not designated for parking and expose them to violations, while others who come from other emirates are forced to arrive one day before their appointment and rent a nearby hotel to avoid the hassle of searching. They pointed to incorrect behavior committed by some car drivers by remaining in the parking lot in crowded places despite the end of their interest or the purpose for which the parking was reserved, such as purchasing a commodity or otherwise.

Meanwhile, the “Parkin” company confirmed that it is working on a strategy that aims to reach “zero minutes” in searching for a parking space in the emirate, and is also working to expand the public parking network in Dubai in line with urban expansion and the development of the public transportation system, indicating that the company has exceeded the target for this year, as about 3,000 new parking spaces were added during the past months, and by the end of this year the total number will exceed 250,000 parking spaces.

She explained to “Emirates Today” that she is working to achieve this goal by launching a set of new future solutions, which include “activating the smart advance reservation service system for public parking, which will be launched during 2026, setting the maximum parking limit, and applying artificial intelligence technologies and smart cameras.”

In detail, Maryam Muhammad said that she frequently suffers from difficulty finding parking in some areas within the emirate, which on one occasion forced her to park in a place not designated for parking.

She added: “In some shops, the number of parking spaces in front of them can only accommodate three cars, which makes it almost impossible to find a place during peak times.” She also pointed out that some locations do not provide sufficient parking for people of determination, despite the importance of facilitating their access to public services and facilities without obstacles.

Ibrahim Ramadan said that he lives in one of the other emirates and visits Dubai frequently, and is sometimes forced to change his plans completely due to the difficulty of finding parking. He said: “Because I am not a resident of Dubai, I face a bigger problem when showing up for my appointments, so if I have work or an important review, sometimes I come to Dubai a day before and stay in a nearby hotel, then I use a taxi to reach the destination, so as to avoid long turns or worry about not having parking.”

Ahmed Ali also narrated his experience: “Often I make sure that a friend or family member accompanies me, to stay in the car while I complete my journey quickly, because I know that I will not find a parking place easily, and this matter is exhausting and repetitive.”

As for Umm Sultan, she recounted her experience regarding the difficulty of obtaining a parking space, saying: “I went around the parking lot approximately 10 times until we found a car about to leave, then we waited for about 15 minutes without a response from its driver.” She asked: “Is it permissible to treat public parking as if it were private property?” It is unacceptable to disrupt others or ignore their right to use the parking, especially when the purpose of reserving the parking has ended, whether to purchase a commodity or otherwise.”

Expansion plans

For his part, Parkin’s Chief Operating Officer, Osama Al Safi, confirmed that the company is working to expand the public parking network in Dubai in line with urban expansion and the development of the public transportation system, indicating that the company has exceeded its target for this year, and the coming years will witness the addition of larger numbers of parking spaces to achieve a better balance between demand and availability.

He said: “We work within the concession agreement with the Roads and Transport Authority, and we have expansion plans based on clear traffic standards, and with the expansion of the public transport network and urban expansion, we are correspondingly expanding the parking lots subject to fees to ensure integration and achieve the best service for users.”

Regarding the number of current parking spaces, he explained that the number of paid parking spaces announced in the mid-year reports is about 215 thousand parking spaces, noting that during the last period about 3,000 new parking spaces were added, and by the end of this year the total number will exceed 250 thousand parking spaces, in addition to 200 parking spaces for electric cars.

Integrated strategy

In response to repeated complaints about the difficulty of finding parking during peak times, and the challenges facing individuals in finding parking, Al-Safi confirmed that the company is working on a strategy that aims to reach “zero minutes” in searching for parking, saying: “We realize that reducing the time it takes the driver to search for parking is a priority, so increasing the rate of obtaining parking is one of our basic strategic indicators, and when an area is subject to fees, the occupancy rate gradually decreases, and this provides more parking and reduces search time.”

He stated that the company is working to achieve this goal through a set of solutions that include “activating smart reservations, setting the maximum parking limit, and applying artificial intelligence techniques and smart cameras.” All of these solutions help provide the service, and whenever new technologies appear that contribute to this goal, the company seeks to adopt them within its strategy.

Smart booking

Al-Safi revealed the advance parking reservation project, which will allow the user to reserve a parking space before arriving at his destination, saying: “The service is currently available in a pilot phase, and we are working on fully linking it to the application, digital cameras, and surveillance systems. It is expected that 2026 will be the year of launching smart advance reservation within a broad operating system.”

He explained: “The reservation will not be linked to just one parking lot, but rather to a group of parking lots designated for reservation, with an intelligent monitoring system that controls misuse and issues immediate violations when needed.”

He explained that multi-storey buildings and smart plazas currently provide immediate information about the occupancy rate through the application, allowing the driver to make a clear decision before arrival, saying: “Today the user can know the occupancy rate in any smart plaza before setting off, and this contributes to planning the trip and reducing circling around crowded locations.”

Electrical chargers

Regarding support for electric vehicles, Al-Safi said: “We have signed agreements with the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority and with (Etisalat) to provide electric chargers in public parking lots, and we will start with 100 parking spaces in the first phase, and we aim to reach 200 parking spaces before the end of the current year 2025.”

Regarding the future of parking with the spread of self-driving vehicles, Al-Safi said: “We are part of the smart transportation system, and as this sector matures, automatic payment mechanisms and automatic parking allocation will be part of the integrated experience, and (valet) parking services may even become completely autonomous in the future.”

Maryam Muhammad:

Some stores have parking spaces in front of them that can only accommodate 3 cars, making it almost impossible to find a place during peak times.

Ibrahim Ramadan:

I have to book a hotel in Dubai and use a taxi to finish my work to avoid long detours or worry about not having a parking space.

Ahmed Ali:

Sometimes I take a friend or family member to stay in the car while I speed through my ride.

Umm Sultan:

One time, I kept searching the parking lots for about 10 times until I found a car about to leave, and then the driver remained inside it for 15 minutes without responding.