Description of Task
The individual assessment is about designing a solution for the Parking Problem in Abu Dhabi.
The students will have to:
- State the Problem: Describe the parking problems in the city of Abu Dhabi. Make sure you state the obvious, but also the economic costs and the human and cultural dimension.
- Current Solution : Describe the current MAWAQIF solution and what problems it solved
- Problems with the Current Solution : List all the problems that MAWAQIF current solution created.
- Design a new solution using the tools discussed in class : You have to use at least 2 different tools.
- Proposed New Solution: Propose your own solution. Make sure that you specify how it solves the original problems and overcome the MAWAQIF solution.
Designing a Solution for parking problem in Abu Dhabi: –
In the past few years before Mwaqif was established in 2009 there were many major issues related to parking in Abu Dhabi due to population growth, which effect the car and transportation growth. In other words private vehicle registration increased proportionally with the growth of economy. Second problem was parking in certain areas such as Khalidiya area, Madinat Zayed area parking wasn’t organized, people used to park anywhere but not blocking the street, because it was free & they didn’t used to get fees. Thirdly, in my experience I would say ambulances had hard time in getting their job done in general emergency vehicles experienced difficulty accessing accident sites.
Current Solution : Describe the current MAWAQIF solution and what problems it solved ??
Ever since Mwaqif took place, starting from 2009 up to date it solved so many major minor critical issues like getting the best benefit out of an area in turning it to parking area such as the one in Khalidiya instead having it as normal old parking which people can park randomly & wrongly way. Mwaqif had designed & dividing the area of parking into 3 category consumers of that area which includes 1st residents, visitors, & workers. For example, residents has the most prioritized parking. Nevertheless, there is a process on applying for Parking permit step 1 visit one of Mawaqif customer service center 2nd step fill the application and submit the required documents. 3rd pay the fee depending on how many vehicle your owning 4th & final step you receive the parking permit from DoT “Department of Transports”. For the first 2 vehicles its free. Third vehicle fees of 800 AED, fourth vehicle 1,200 AED.
Top Mawaqif achievements:
Parking accidents reduced by 24 percent, improved emergency access to hot spot areas, Mawaqif creates many job opportunities at different levels of work. An in-direct way of tax to the government same goes with salik.
What I like most about Mwaqif that you can easily pay now through your phone while you are sitting inside your car when using Mawaqif, by sending a text message code to 3009, and simply write down the text message on how many hours that you are going to spend on the area you have parked. At the beginning, there used to be machines where you go down from your car and walk to it and you have to have change, but nowadays the machines are being used rarely.
- Problems with the Current Solution: List all the problems that MAWAQIF current solution created ??
First of all one of the most major problem of people were complaining about fees that are really expensive as the average fee violation will cost from 200 to 500 AED.
Getting your car towed without any notice is the worst, if you parked wrongly like in handicap or behind a car or even behind your friends car it is listed as violation. You can get your car towed within the next 5-10min, once it’s towed you have to pick it up from Mawaqif and pay a fee of 500AED to release it plus 100 AED daily if you didn’t pick it up including Friday. Moreover, what really gets on people nervous that towing can happen randomly.
One day my friend and i went to Starbucks coffee, we parked in front of it suddenly mawaqif staff came pass by my friends car and towed his car, as soon as I’ve seen it I went straight away to my car and move it to a free parking now he got caught and I didn’t as we both parked in a wrong way.
Mawaqif still having a lack of awareness on transferring the exact rules of mawaqif to people, one instant example is the black & white parking what it means, I can guarantee that a lot of people still have no idea what does it means also for the white & blue.
- Design a new solution using the tools discussed in class : You have to use at least 2 different tools.
- Proposed New Solution: Propose your own solution. Make sure that you specify how it solves the original problems and overcome the MAWAQIF solution.
A Smart parking technology would be a great solution. I will be listing below all the information regarding the SPT.
SPT design?
A circle chip covered by a fiber that can be installed on top of the street.
How it works?
Real-time data transfer from the chip that will be installed on the street it will send data to Mawaqif main branch & the user. Therefore you can allocate each and every parking whether its busy or free it can show through the PC or even the smart phones for the user to allocate the nearest parking to them without wasting time.
What can be achieved from implementing SPT & link it with Mawaqif or a user?
Mawaqif can determine which areas exactly need more parking space than other areas, which are not needed, or not being crowded, where in the future parking building can be built in the exact right location to have more advantage on that area of parking.
Road user can allocate the nearest parking to him without roaming around pointlessly causing more traffic.
There will be decrease in parking accident.