More than 10,000 motorists have been fined for parking in disabled bays in Dubai this year, the emirate’s traffic department has announced, as it launches a 10-day awareness campaign aimed at curbing the practice.
Dubai Traffic Police said it had issued 10,265 fines to people parked in handicapped spaces in the first 11 months of this year, according to a report in 7Days newspaper.
It said there has been a steady increase in the practice over the past three years – 9,409 fines were issued in 2014 and 8,317 in 2013.
In an attempt to tackle the problem, Dubai Traffic Police launched a campaign this week aimed at discouraging motorists from parking in disabled bays.
The 10-day campaign, ‘Stand by their side, not in their spot’ will disseminate messages via social media and radio in three languages: Arabic, English and Hindi.
The police will also distribute booklets and organise seminars.
Colonel Jamal Al Bannai, deputy head of Dubai Traffic Police, was quoted as saying: “There are very few handicapped spaces available in comparison to regular parking spots – they form maybe 1 percent of all parking spots – and still people park in them even if there are regular spots available.”
“Parking in a handicapped spot is not only against the traffic law, but is a violation of the rights of people with disability.”
Drivers caught parking in a disabled parking spot will be fined AED1,000 ($272) and get four black points on their driving licence.
Dubai Police has also reportedly installed a monitoring device to catch people who park in disabled bays at The Dubai Mall and plans to install the devices in other malls across the city.
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