Transport Ministry pledges to resolve parking crisis by 2021

Transport Ministry has promised a resolution to the current parking crisis facing the congested capital, Male’ City, by 2021.

Speaking to Sun during Transport Ministry’s Nuvagadi press briefing session this Sunday, Deputy Transport Minister Hidhaya Naseer said the office was collaborating with other government agencies to resolve the traffic congestion and shortage of parking issues facing Male’.

“We are on the verge of constructing parking buildings to remedy traffic congestion. The project will be supervised by Planning Ministry. We are currently working on establishing vehicle capacity and age limit for vehicles. The paperwork for that are ready. We believe we will be able to establish a vehicle quota and age limit by 2020,” said Hidhaya.

She said that the parking buildings will be operational by 2021 – which will provide a solution to the parking crisis.

Speaking during a questioning session at the Parliament in August, Transport Minister Aishath Nahula announced that solution to the issue of congestion and lack of parking space in the capital Male’ City was to impose a limit on registration of vehicles.

She said the Transport Ministry will establish 1,000 – 1,500 parking spaces for motorcycles, and 100 parking spaces for four-wheeled vehicles by the end of this year, and that she had presented a paper regarding recommendations to remedy traffic congestion to the Cabinet.

Maldives previously installed automated parking systems in a bid to ease traffic congestion. However, the parking systems were never used, and the current administration is working on removing the parking systems and establishing parking spaces at the locations.