Residents will be able to enjoy free parking during the holiday weekend to mark Commemoration Day and the 49th UAE National Day.
Sharjah
On Sunday, Sharjah Municipality announced that public parking in the city will be free of charge from Tuesday, December 1 until Thursday December 3. The paid parking system will resume on Saturday, December 5.
Ali Ahmed Abu Ghazien, Director of Public Parking Department at Sharjah Municiplaity, pointed out that parking inspectors will continue to monitor parking lots to detect any misuse of the parking spaces, such as double or wrong parking, among other violations.
“This decision excludes the parking zones that are subject to parking fees on all days of the week including Fridays and public holidays,” he said. The paid parking zones can be easily identified by the blue signboards, indicating that the area is subject to fees on all days of the week from 8 am until 10 pm.
Abu Ghazin pointed out that the paid parking zones are essential in order to provide available spots for residents and visitors, especially in vital and tourist areas, and to spare them the trouble of searching for a parking while going to their various destinations.
“Parking inspectors will also ensure that motorists do not violate traffic rules during the holiday, such as double parking and other violations, in order to make the parking spaces available to all residents and visitors.”
Dubai
All public parking areas in Dubai, except for multi-level parking terminals, will be free of charge from Tuesday to Friday (November 1 to 4), as part of public holidays for 49th National Day celebrations, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Sunday.
It also announced revised timings for customer happiness centres, public buses, metro, tram, marine transport, and service provider centres (technical testing of vehicles) during the public holiday period.
Metro timings
The Red Line of Dubai Metro will operate from 5am to 1am (of the following day), the Green Line of Dubai Metro will operate from 5.30am to 1.am (of the following day), and Dubai Tram will operate from 6am to 1am (of the following day). The Metro Link Bus Service at Rashidiya, Mall of the Emirates, Ibn Battuta, Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa, Abu Hail, and Etisalat will be in service from 5am to 1:10am (of the following day). The timing of all Metro Link services is synchronised with the metro timetables.
Bus timings
Public buses (Dubai Bus) timings will only be for Tuesday to Wednesday. Main Stations (including Gold Souq Station) will operate from 4.25am to 12:29 am (past midnight). Al Ghubaiba Station from 4.14am to 12:58am (past midnight).
The Intercity Bus and Commercial Coaches will be operating from Union Square from 4.25am to 11pm, Etisalat Metro Station from 5am to 11pm, and Abu Hail Metro Station from 6am to 11pm. The timing of External Stations will be as follows: Jubail at Sharjah from 5.30am to 11.30pm, Hatta from 5.30am to 9.30pm, and Ajman from 5.15am to 11pm.
Marine transport timings
The Water Bus will operate at Marina Stations (Marina Mall, Marina Walk, Marina Terrace, Marina Promenade) from 12pm (noon) up to 12am (midnight). The Traditional Abra and Ferry will also operate during the holiday with revised timings, available on the RTA website.
RTA centres
Service Provider Centres will close from Tuesday to Thursday and resume business on Saturday. Customer Happiness Centres will close from Tuesday to Thursday and resume business on Sunday. The Smart Customer Happiness Centres at Umm Al Ramool, Deira, Al Barsha, and RTA Head Office will continue operation 24/7 hours as usual.
Abu Dhabi
Public parking in Abu Dhabi will be free during the upcoming Commemoration Day and National Day break, announced the Department of Municipalities and Transport Integrated Transport Centre (ITC).
The free parking period will start from 12am on Tuesday, December 1, and continue until 7.59 am on Saturday, December 5. The public transport regulator called upon motorists to abide by traffic regulations during the period, and to avoid blocking traffic flow. They must also adhere to the residential parking regulations between 9 pm and 8 am every day.
Parking fines
There are more than 200 traffic fines in the UAE. Motorists should be aware of these police fines related to parking:
- Parking in restricted areas dedicated to civil defence, ambulances and vehicles for people of determination: Dh1,000, 4 black points
- Parking in a restricted area: Dh200, 2 black points
- Parking the vehicle on a pedestrian crossing: Dh100 fine
- Parking the vehicle without abiding by the standard distance: Dh100 fine
- Parking the vehicle in a way that poses a danger to passengers: Dh100 fine
- Parking in a way that hinders pedestrian movement: Dh100 fine
