MAKKAH, 13 March 2005 — It doesn’t seem like very much — a few square meters, a couple of stripes — but it’s becoming one of the most sought-after items in Makkah — the empty parking space.
Many government and public buildings in the holy city, such as banks, hospitals, schools and markets, lack adequate parking, the Makkah daily Al-Nadwa reported. What that means for residents and visitors alike is that a trip downtown often becomes a trip around town, and around and around and around in search of the elusive parking space.
In fact, traffic around parking areas can be so congested, some fear emergency vehicles couldn’t even get near to a building let alone park in front of it. Of course, some motorists try to be extremely innovative and create new parking spaces — over sidewalks and other unusual places, which is good for the tow-truck businesses but not very good for pedestrians and the innovative motorists, for that matter.
There are some innovative motorists, however, who solve the parking problem and avoid the many associated dangers through the age-old art of walking.
“To overcome this problem, I park very far away from the government or public building that I am visiting,” said Makkah resident Abdul Aziz Al-Masoudi. “By doing so, I am also trying to avoid accidents because people accidentally hit my parked car. What I am trying to understand is why the municipality did not think about the problem of parking spaces before they built the building?”
Al-Masoudi is not the only one trying to understand how this problem parked itself on Makkah’s doorstep.
“How could the municipality approve a building without making sure that there are enough parking spaces outside the building? Building owners, whether a bank or a hospital, are also responsible of the problem,” said Bakheet Hassan.
“They should have made sure that there were enough parking spaces outside their building.”
Others contend that the whole mess is the responsibility of traffic authorities.
“When visiting a bank, the first thing that I notice is the piles of cars that are parked outside the building and blocking traffic,” said Muhsin Al-Harthi. “This is an uncivilized scene and results in many car accidents and sometimes fights between drivers. In most cases when these problems arise, police intervene to end it.”
It’s also a problem for business. Abdullah Al-Subaie is a storeowner near the municipality building. He said that many drivers park their cars in front of his store and block the entrance. Despite warning signs he put on the entrance of his store, drivers ignore it claiming that there are not enough parking spaces in front of the government building. Imagine their surprise when they return and their cars have been towed away by the traffic police.
“Every day, I see dozens of cars towed away in front of me,” Al-Subaie said.
“I see the problems that are created after drivers discover that their cars were towed. Personally I don’t blame them because there are not enough parking spaces. This problem exists around many government buildings and not around the municipality alone. It starts from early in the morning to the end of the working day in the afternoon.”
But as the sun comes up the next day, for many the ritual begins again. Will they find the elusive parking space this time — or will they wind up driving around and around and around? Gentlemen, start your engines.
