New parking offence in Sharjah... car must face the road

When Suleiman Abdullah returned to his car in a parking area in Sharjah, he was surprised to see a ticket stuck on his windscreen. Abdullah had thought the ticket was placed by mistake and it could be meant for another vehicle before he stared in disbelief at the car number on the ticket. He rushed to the traffic police department as he was sure his car was parked in the right place and he did not commit any offence. At the department, his surprise turned into a shock when the police man told him he has to pay the Dh200 fine under a new penalty dubbed “abuse of parking.” “It is not only the fine but this offence also involves three black points…I was told that I abused the parking space by parking my car in a reverse direction,” Abdullah said, quoted by the Arabic language daily Alittihad. “I again made clear my car was parked in the right place and safely…but they again stressed that the car’s back rather than the front must face the road.” The paper said many other drivers complained that they had a ticket on their cars, which were parked with their front side facing the road inside the park. It quoted Sharjah traffic police as saying the new measures are intended to serve the public interest and ensure discipline on roads and inside parking areas. “All drivers must abide by such rules…they should park their cars in the right direction and in the same way which they practiced when they were tested for a driving licence…parking in a reverse direction violates the rules.”