One side of the street is chock-a-block with parked cars. One of the vehicles starts up and from nowhere darts a nondescript man giving the motorist instructions on how to steer out of his parking space. With a final Zayy-i-m-anta (As you are), the car pulls out. A sum of money is exchanged through the driver’s window. Meanwhile, an impatient queue forms behind yet another motorist who wishes to take the vacant spot. Amid the angry honking and beeping, the nondescript man guides the newcomer into the space, then he recedes into the shade of the colonnade. The unspoken contract is clear: you need somewhere to park and he needs to feed his family. But none of the above is legal. Indeed, it might lead to turf wars and extortion. There should be a law against it, and there is.
The new car parking law, also known as the ‘Parking Attendant Law’, is stirring debate, especially since this is the first legislation of its kind to regulate street parking. It is already being enforced in some neighbourhoods in Cairo and Giza.
By law, nondescript men as parking attendants must have government authorisation to collect fees. A parking attendant must be over 21, literate and hold a valid driver’s license.
The law, which was approved by the parliament and then President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in July 2020, stipulates the formation of a committee responsible for designating parking places, times and fees. Attendants must submit 75 per cent of their takings to the local governorate. Failure to comply will result in fines and even jail time.
Some believe the law is a serious attempt to organise street parking. Others object, venting their spleen on social media.
The law puts more pressure on the wallets of car owners, who might consider stipulated fees as exorbitant in certain areas.
“The law is being enforced at a financially tough time for everybody,” one Facebook user wrote.
Others have requested the government to defer the universal enforcement of the law until it is clearly explained to the public and debate is permitted.
For decades, the nondescript parking attendants were a law unto themselves, treating their ‘patch’ as their own fiefdom.
“The new law is intended to put an end to this, particularly since the job attracts criminal elements,” MP Mervat Abdel Azeem told a local newspaper.
The government levy of 75 per cent of fees collected is welcome revenue, otherwise attendants would trouser the lot and the public benefit is nil.
Ahmed el-Segeni, who chairs the parliamentary Local Administration Committee, said the law brings state control on street parking after a long absence.
“Unauthorised parking attendants often inflate fees and motorists felt ripped off,” el-Segeni said.
“Improving these services will be reflected in order in the streets and better traffic flow.”
One person on Facebook asked where would the best place be for a carpark. One wag replied: The Western Desert.
So, be prepared for hordes of illegal, nondescript, sunburnt men with hands outstretched.
