Sharjah extends paid parking hours until midnight across four cities

 Sharjah City Municipality announced an amendment to the working hours of the public parking service in the emirate to include all paid parking in the cities of Sharjah, Kalba, Khorfakkan and Al Dhaid, especially the parking areas identified by yellow signs to be open until midnight, similar to the parking areas identified by blue signs. 

Meanwhile, these parking spaces will remain free on Fridays and public holidays as before, with the exception of the parking spaces that are subject to fees throughout the week and on public holidays. This change is scheduled to take effect on July 1. 

In this context, Hamed Al Qaed, Director of Public Parking Department at Sharjah City Municipality, stated that this amendment came in response to the increasing demand for public parking services in the emirate’s cities including Sharjah, Kalba, Khorfakkan and Al Dhaid and in keeping with the urban, population, and tourism development witnessed across the emirate. 

The decision also followed a comprehensive study of the parking situation, usage rates, areas where parking is concentrated, benchmarking and consideration of feedback from residents and visitors, he added. 

Given the economic and commercial boom, keeping public parking open until midnight became essential to enhance its availability for users, reduce misuse and address related challenges, he said. 

He noted that season ticket holders and patrons of restaurants and cafes faced difficulty in finding parking after 10pm, which necessitated the development and improvement of parking systems to better serve both residents and visitors.  

Al Qaed explained that this amendment aimed to optimize the use of public parking spaces, reduce haphazard parking and provide greater opportunities for rotary parking, particularly in key and commercial areas. 

This initiative would meet the expectations of residents and enhance services in residential and commercial areas, thereby reinforcing the emirate’s position as a tourist destination and an attractive environment for living and enjoying leisure time, he said. 

There are as many as 124,000 public parking spaces subject to fees in the emirate, with fees applicable from 8am to midnight, while the operating mechanism and fee calculation differ from the smart parking areas located throughout the emirate, particularly in tourist areas, he added. 

Extending operating hours would not result in any increase in subscription fees, which would remain unchanged, he said, noting that subscribers would benefit from an additional two hours of free parking daily, thereby increasing the exemption period from 14 hours to 16 hours. 

Sharjah City Municipality called on the public to abide by the specified hours for public parking services and pay fees through available channels including SMS service and Digital Sharjah app. 

Alternatively, they can take advantage of the seasonal subscriptions that are provided by the municipality easily and conveniently and can be issued in record time.