Call to Reinstate Muharraq Souk Car Parks Wins MP Support

A proposal to restore car parks around Muharraq Souk to their former layout was approved on an urgent basis by Parliament on Tuesday.

The motion, submitted as a proposal in the form of a wish, calls for the parking areas that existed before redevelopment works at the Souk to be brought back. MPs backing the move say recent changes reduced the number of spaces for visitors’ cars after pavements were widened and planters for trees and plants were put in along the surrounding streets.

According to the text, the proposal seeks to return the areas originally allocated to car parking, trim back pavement widths where possible and remove trees and plants considered non-essential from the immediate vicinity. It also suggests acquiring a number of old properties near the Souk and turning them into car parks, following earlier expropriations carried out for the wider development of historic Muharraq.

Lead proposer MP Hisham Al Awadhi said people who frequent Muharraq Souk were surprised to find that areas previously reserved for cars had been reduced once the development works were complete. He said wider pavements and the placement of flowerpots had come at the expense of spaces used by shoppers and traders.

In his written remarks, he added that the current layout leaves the remaining car parks unable to absorb demand, especially during holidays, which in his view has reduced the number of people going to the Souk and affected trade there. He also pointed to disputes between drivers competing to park in the limited spaces now available around the site.

The proposal states that its purpose is to increase visits to Muharraq Souk and to ease congestion around it by restoring previous parking capacity and curbing unlawful parking in nearby streets.

It was submitted by MP Hisham Al Awadhi, Speaker of Parliament Ahmed bin Salman Al Musallam, MP Khalid Buanaq, MP Mohammed Al Olaiwi and MP Hamad Al Doy.