KUWAIT CITY, March 5: The parking crisis in Kuwait is worsening due to the increasing number of cars. The latest statistics from the Ministry of Interior revealed that there are 2,374,339 licensed vehicles in the country -- 1,188,624 owned by citizens; 552,009 owned by expatriates; 455,192 company vehicles; 132,263 owned by Gulf nationals and 26,316 owned by non-Kuwaitis. Experts agree that it is necessary to resolve the crisis of cars parked randomly around private and government buildings and mosques, as this leads to visual pollution.

They suggested the establishment of multi-storey parking lots in various areas to help solve this crisis. Eng. Alia Al Farsi, a member of the Municipal Council and a transportation engineering consultant, explained that the parking crisis extends to all types of land use and is widespread in investment housing areas. She submitted a proposal to the Municipal Council to solve this crisis in investment housing areas, and it is currently under technical study by the Construction Works Regulation Committee in Kuwait Municipality.

Her proposal aims to encourage investors to establish parking lots in investment housing, as most investment housing buildings are located in and outside the Capital, leading to random parking around the buildings. This random parking leads to visual pollution and obstructs the movement of cars and pedestrians. The proposal aims to eliminate the parking crisis through optimal urban planning for parking lots in investment housing, finding a way out of the randomness of parking cars. This will raise the standard of living for those living around the residential buildings by eliminating parking in dirt yards, roads and sidewalks; thereby, adding value to the buildings, creating a sense of responsibility among individuals, and raising the level of traffic safety in investment housing areas. The proposal encourages the construction of multi-storey parking areas in investment housing buildings and complexes, in accordance with the terms and conditions set by the Municipality.

In the absence of reliance on public transportation like trains, metros and buses; it is necessary to establish multi-storey parking lots in compliance with the engineering regulations that take all aspects into account. The problem also affects private housing areas, where cars and garbage containers accumulate due to the absence of appropriate urban organization. Bader Al-Hammadi, Vice President of the Traffic Safety Association and security expert, believes that the parking crisis can be solved through several axes, including the use of multi-storey parking lots in places where traffic congestion is common, especially in front of government agencies. He recommended providing means of transportation with specific technologies to transport citizens and expatriates to government agencies via public transportation and implement the subway idea with the speedy completion of railways to prevent excessive use of cars.

By Najeh Bilal Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff