The absence of adequate parking facilities around many government offices and the "ruthless" imposition of fines on those leaving their vehicles in no-parking zones and other locations have come in for sharp criticism.
The criticism was expressed by a number of nationals during a weekly talk on civic issues, broadcast on Qatar Radio earlier this week.
People interviewed by the radio on the issue made a strong plea to the authorities to be a little more lenient towards those compelled to leave their vehicles in such places for very brief durations, say up to 15 minutes or so. They said such practices are resorted to by people only when there is no other option left.
Some of those interviewed were apparently very vocal in their criticism of the traffic fines being imposed on those forced to leave their vehicles at the Hamad Hospital premises. Unable to find a place to park , several people leave their vehicles in such a way that they block the path of other vehicles. This is seen mostly between 8am and 2pm.
Similar criticisms were also levelled against the fines being imposed on vehicles left behind by owners for short durations in West Bay's Tower Zone, which experiences acute shortage of parking space. However, it has also been found that the upper levels of some of the multilevel parking facilities in the same area are lying
under-utilised .
While seeking an effective solution to the issue, participants suggested the traffic authorities to explore the possibility of introducing the system of issuing returnable tokens, against a nominal fee for those leaving vehicles in no-parking zones for short durations.
They pointed out that if the owners did not return on time to take their vehicles back, fines could be levied at a specified rate for every 30 minutes. This could be effectively worked out, if proper monitoring is carried out in busy parking areas by security personnel, felt the citizens.
Reacting to the radio discussion on parking woes, a resident said if those leaving vehicles in no-parking zones and blocking paths of others also leave behind their mobile numbers, the woes of affected customers would be drastically reduced. He said this practice is widely seen in some of the European Union countries.
City residents also advocated imposing a fee for parking in all open grounds near government offices which are currently used for the purpose. This, they felt, would prevent many vehicle owners from misusing these facilities.
