The enforcement of a vehicle parking law is being assessed, Local Development Minister Mahmoud Shaarawy said yesterday.
The new law is stirring controversy in the first days of its enforcement.
The law, which has been introduced in seven Cairo and Giza neighbourhoods, aims to regulate parking vehicles in the country’s often chaotic cities and put an end to the widely known phenomenon of the sayes, informal parking attendants who demand fees from drivers to allow them to park.
Many people took to social media in the last few hours to voice their complaints against the new regulations and fees that will be introduced in some neighbourhoods where parking had previously been free of charge.
The Ministry of Local Development is currently reviewing the enforcement of the law in Cairo and Giza’s neighbourhoods to rectify any flaws, Shaarawy said.
According to the law, a committee in each governorate will designate specific areas for parking with monthly fees according to the nature and size of the location.
Individuals and companies wishing to work in regulating street parking in the designated areas must obtain a licence.
Unlicensed parking attendants will face fines and even jail terms.
The minister said the law aims to “restore traffic discipline” and merge informal activities into the state’s official economy.
The motoring public will be protected from malpractices by unlicensed parking attendants, he added.
The phenomenon of unlicensed attendants has often been associated with thuggery as motorists sometimes find themselves in potentially violent confrontations if they refuse to pay.
Parking revenues will go towards the maintenance of streets and pavements, the minister said.
The law won parliamentary approval in June 2020.
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