New parking meters praised, but workers seek longer hours

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Working in the Diplomatic Area? Then there is one improvement many office workers would like to see.

Employees are urging the Ministry of Works to introduce an eight-hour parking payment option for the newly installed parking meters in the Diplomatic Area, saying it would better match a standard working day and make parking more convenient.

At present, motorists can pay for a maximum of two hours at a time. For employees working regular eight-hour shifts, that means returning to the parking meter every two hours to renew their ticket if they wish to avoid a fine.

Workers say extending the payment period to eight hours would make it easier to comply with parking regulations without having to repeatedly leave their offices during meetings, deadlines or busy work schedules.

The request comes weeks after the Ministry of Works introduced 42 new solar-powered parking meters in the Diplomatic Area, replacing older machines as part of a wider effort to modernise parking management.

The ministry says the project is designed to improve traffic flow, regulate the use of the area's 546 parking spaces and offer motorists more convenient payment options through credit cards, Apple Pay and cash.

Employees say they welcome the upgraded technology and the easier payment methods but believe adding an eight-hour payment option would make the new system even more practical for those working full-time in the area.

They say such a change would reduce unnecessary trips to parking meters, help improve productivity and encourage greater compliance with parking regulations by allowing motorists to pay for the duration of a normal working day.

They have called on the Ministry of Works to consider the proposal as a practical enhancement to an already modernised parking system.