Sharjah directs eateries not to serve errant motorists

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

All food establishments operating in the city of Sharjah have been urged to refrain from serving customers who wait in cars parked in lots that are reserved for certain special groups of the community, or who park randomly obstructing traffic in the process, the Sharjah Municipality announced on Wednesday.

The move comes within the Municipality’s keenness to serve customers who wait in regular parking lots, not those who park illegally or who hinder traffic movement. It also aims to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the emirate.
Sheikha Shaza Al Mualla, Assistant Director General of the Public Health Division and Central Laboratories, confirmed that the Food Control Department has instructed all food establishments to refrain from serving the customers who park their cars randomly in front of them.

The Municipality distributed clear notices through which it emphasised the importance of commitment with the instructions and warned about the measures that would be taken against those who fail to abide by them, she added.

For his part, Khalid Bin Falah Al Suwaidi, Assistant General Manager of the Customer Service, explained that the Public Parking Department performs its role by periodically inspecting the parking lots to monitor the misuse of public parking, such as parking in the spaces designated for certain categories or reserved lots for shops, or parking randomly thereby blocking traffic.

Recently, Sharjah City Municipality rolled out 400 touch-screen parking meters. This project comes as part of the municipality’s efforts to transform its services into electronic and smart services to facilitate procedures for its customers.

Thabet Salem Al Tarifi, Director General of Sharjah Municipality, affirmed that using this technology in parking meters is a pioneering step in the Middle East, and in line with the municipality’s keenness to provide services for customers to save time as part of the project “Sabeq,” which transfers all its services digitally instead of using paper.