Shafaq News- Baghdad
Finding a parking space in Baghdad has become anincreasingly costly challenge, drivers find themselves choosing between payinghigh parking fees, risking traffic fines, or leaving their vehicles inunauthorized lots.
When Asmaa Rahim returned to her car after a brief stop,she found a traffic ticket on the windshield. Unable to locate the trafficofficer who issued it, she had little choice but to pay the fine to avoidadditional penalties.
Mohammed Ali, 40, said someone demanded 2,000 dinars ($1.53)after he parked for a few minutes outside a pharmacy. “He insisted on chargingme even though the location was public and he had no authority to collect fees,”Ali said.
Earlier this year, Baghdad Operations Command set official parking chargesat 3,000 dinars ($2.29) and vehicle transfer contract costs at 50,000 dinars ($38.17),to be shared equally between buyers and sellers. The command also closed 14parking sites in Al-Rusafa for violating regulations, saying the measure wasintended to protect citizens from illegal fee collection.
The municipality also offersincentives to landowners willing to convert their properties into parkingfacilities in accordance with legal requirements, particularly in commercialdistricts, medical centers, and government service areas.
Many residents, however, argue that enforcement alonewill not solve the problem, calling for larger parking spaces, expandedcapacity in busy districts, and a unified pricing system to preventovercharging.
Mustafa Karim, a parking lot employee, said licensedfacilities provide receipts and rely on surveillance cameras to monitorvehicles. He noted that parking fees vary according to the duration of use,reaching 3,000 dinars for regular parking and 5,000 dinars for overnight stays.
Baghdad Municipality spokesperson Uday Al-Jandil toldShafaq News that the officially approved parking fee for both public andprivate lots is 3,000 dinars per visit, adding that any amount above thatviolates municipal regulations. The municipality is implementing plans toexpand existing parking facilities and establish new ones on both sides of thecapital, but limited land availability remains the main obstacle.
