Closure of free parking yards; Sharjah residents pay up to Dh300 a month

Sharjah has been expanding public parking spaces over the past many years and shutting down ‘free’ yards to provide residents with a proper parking space and to maintain the aesthetic look of the emirate. Thus, Sharjah motorists are left with very few options but opt for either public parking or private paid parking lots which are mostly operated by licensed operators.

There are 57,000 spaces in Sharjah allocated for public parking, all of which are being monitored by inspection teams to ensure that they are not being misused. Sharjah Municipality announced an addition of 2,440 new parking spaces being converted into paid slots and shut down 53 empty sandy yards where people used to park, in October.

Some of the private parking operators have increased monthly rentals in Al Majaz and Al Khan areas, following increased demand and the closure of ‘free’ parking yards, Moreover, the shortage of ‘free’ parking is also driven by some of the yards being acquired by private companies to construct buildings there.