KUWAIT CITY, July 28: The government is currently attempting to solve the parking space problem in various commercial, investment, and residential areas. Muhammad Zamani, an international expert in smart parking and modern technologies, said this initiative aims to address the traffic crisis in all governorates, exacerbated by the two million cars plying on the roads in the country, according to statistics given by the Central Statistical Administration.

In an interview with Al-Seyassah, Zamani said he has obtained necessary approvals from the Public Authority for Industry for the study. He added he is in discussions with the Council of Ministers, noting that the private sector is prepared to finance the project if the government does not wish to do so. The Real Estate Association had previously estimated the cost of resolving the parking crisis at 7.1 billion dinars. However, Zamani’s proposed project will not impose any financial burdens on the state but will support the budget by generating significant profits. He said this can be done by using the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system, creating 100,000 parking spaces with fees of up to 5 dinars per space per day in commercial areas and 1 dinar per day in residential areas, potentially saving half a million dinars per day and generating 182.5 million dinars annually.

The project aims to diversify Kuwait’s sources of income, improve Kuwait’s urban appearance, increase economic activity, develop current public parking lots and address employment issues by involving Kuwaiti youth in managing parking facilities.

A notable aspect of the project is the plan to use vacant state-owned land for parking management and to employ a hydraulic system in the Shuwaikh Industrial Area workshops. These workshops can then be converted into multi-story car parks with demountable and reassembly structures within 10 days, operated with solar energy systems to reduce power loads. Additionally, he proposed converting car parks into technological elevators relying on a hydraulic lifting system, allowing one workshop to rise to four floors.

This innovative approach aims to alleviate the chronic traffic congestion in the area and improve overall infrastructure. Zamani highlighted that the hydraulic system for car lifts is particularly advantageous for workshops. It offers several benefits including the system designed to prevent electric shocks, enhancing user safety; quick operation, with a car being lifted in about 80 seconds and descending in under a minute and handling vehicles weighing up to 2 tons.

By Najeh Bilal
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff