Technology won’t
succeed if not
supported on the
grounds
Ahmed Refaat:
Phased imple-
mentation and
priority to more
dense areas
Adel Al Marzouqi:
The app has the
right feature set,
with fluid user
interactions
Osama Abdul Hamid:
ing that the app has the right feature set,
is user-friendly, with fluid user interactions
and is cross-device compatible.
He continued saying, “However, it’s not
about offering a technology service, as
the app can technically facilitate obtaining
a service on the grounds, but the question
is: where are the parking spots? Dubai
generally suffers from a serious problem
of shortage of paid parking areas, which
are not commensurate with the continu-
ously growing numbers of registered new
cars every year. Therefore, before releas-
ing the app, the RTA should have sought
to increase the number of parking areas
so that the app may achieve its goals suc-
cessfully”.
Amir Ammar believes that an e-system
capable of providing this service will be
available in the future, meaning that the
experimental app released by the RTA
since last October is technically success-
ful, but failed on the actual service level to
the public. The app did not bring in clear
benefits, as the parking spots are very
few, especially in the area covered by
the app. The app enables users to locate
available parking spots, but does not allow
them to reserve the spot. Users will most
probably find other cars, which have been
waiting, parked in that sport already, upon
their arrival.
He continued saying that it is still early to
claim that the app is successful on the ser-
vice level as it has not provided a practical
solution to a crisis that is already present,
but rather offered a technical system only.
“The app is part of the RTA’s smart trans-
formation strategy, which includes mul-
tiple services. The Smart Parking app
has been recently launched and is still in
its trial phase covering a specific area of
Sheikh Zayed Road in order to assess the
technical success of the app,” said Eng.
Adel Al Marzouqi, the director of parking
at the RTA.
“As for the app’s success as a public ser-
vice, a report is currently being put togeth-
er about its success. Based on the report,
the app will be covering the entire Dubai in
phases, so that each phase will include an
area to be selected according to its traffic.
The app will also include a parking locat-
ing system at malls, which is already under
implementation by the RTA. Currently, us-
ers can look up available parking at Dubai
Mall on the app,” Al Marzouqi added.
Al Marzouqi pointed out that the phased
implementation of the app is coupled by
the RTA’s continuous efforts to increase
the number of paid parking. Additionally,
the RTA is scheduled to launch a project to
construct a number of multi-level parking
lots that can accommodate a large num-
ber of vehicles, especially in the areas
with heavy traffic. At the end of the day,
the RTA’s goal is to provide the best ser-
vice on the practical and technical levels.
the experimental
app released last
October is techni-
cally successful
Amir Ammar:
17
March
2015
