Paid parking will be introduced in Abu Dhabi for the first time as early as October, in an attempt to encourage drivers to use the public transport system and rely less on cars, an official said on Wednesday. In the first stage, fees will be applicable to around 2,500 parking spaces in Hamdan Street and Zayed The First Street, with prices fixed at Dh2 or Dh3 per hour, depending on location, Najeeb Al Zarouni, Director of Parking at the Department of Transport told a press conference.

"Residents' permits will cost Dh800 per year for the first car, and Dh1,200 per year for the second car, if applicable," he said. People with special needs will enjoy free parking whether they use spaces especially designed for them or other spaces, according Al Zarouni. Within two years, paid parking will be applied to around 75,000 parking spaces identified across 43 sectors of the city, including 5,000 spaces in underground car parks, Al Zarouni said.

However, studies show that during peak times there is a need for over 100,000 spaces. Between 2005 and 2008, the number of registered vehicles in the emirate increased by an average of 16 per cent annually, and the number of people holding driving licences rose by 10 per cent annually.

According to Al Zarouni, paid parking will be restricted to commercial areas and drivers will be able to pay using mobile phones, cards, or coins. Permits will also be accessible online. He said the Parking Management Strategy also provides for stopping landlords from renting out parking spaces in their buildings to their tenants. "A tenant of each apartment must be provided with a free parking space in the building," he said, but did not clarify what legal action will be taken against landlords whose buildings do not have parking spaces and whether these landlords will be demanded to hire parking spaces for their tenants.

Al Zarouni said this programme is about introducing the first, short-term measures in a much longer-term strategy that is a critical part of government and department of Transport plans to ensure that Abu Dhabi becomes a greener, more accessible, less congested capital.

"This is just the first step, but we believe these measures will result in visible improvements by the year end, with less congestion, fewer illegally parked vehicles, and a better understanding among car owners of the need to park correctly to support the free flow of traffic through the emirate. As for long-term solutions, studies are also underway to examine possible sites for the development of public car park buildings in several locations across the city centre. is now considering two options: quick built temporary parking buildings, or normal or robotic parking buildings built above or underground depending on the site location and logistics.

Al Zarouni said that two parking buildings and two robotic buildings, each accommodating 500-800 cars will be build in Hamdan Street and Zayed The First Street to meet the immediate needs for parking spaces in the city. Although the new parking policies will not allow parking spaces to be reserved, spaces reserved for diplomatic missions and banks will be an exception, Al Zarouni said.