The Ministry of Transport and Communications ( MoTC) has launched the Qatar Parking Master Plan and will develop a geographic information system (GIS) and smart applications for future parking plans, an official has revealed.
“The Qatar Parking Master Plan aims at building a GIS and smart applications which would assist all relevant entities in the country in terms of future parking plans,’ announced Rashed Taleb al-Nabit, assistant undersecretary for Land Transport, MoTC at the two day Smart Parking Qatar Conference, which opened yesterday.
"Also to be developed is an indicative database which can be fed at a later stage with real-time data on parking availability, as well as desktop and smartphone apps which help find and reserve parking spots,” he explained.
The official disclosed that MoTC recently launched several projects for the planning and development of road network including the Qatar Parking Master Plan.
“The Qatar Parking Master Plan is the main focus of efforts towards the planning and distribution of parking spaces and development of policies and regulations for their operation, in line with current and future road networks, public transportation, land use, and future prospects for demographic and labour expansion,” he explained.
According to al-Nabit, the project includes surveys to gauge people’s experiences of parking lots and other parking-related factors. “Based on these surveys as well as benchmarks against distinguished international experiences, the foundations will be laid for the re-planning of parking spaces or the proposal of additional ones at the state level as well as the identification of policies, regulations, and legislative laws to regulate parking spaces in Qatar and determine operational policies.”
The project will also include the development of a guide for the design of parking spaces as per the best international practices, traffic particularities, and types of vehicles in Qatar.
The Smart Parking Qatar Conference, supported by the National Traffic Safety Committee, is a platform for developing car park management strategies and innovations for sustainable and liveable cities.
Officials and decision makers from MoTC, Public Works Authority, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Ministry of Awqaf & Islamic Affairs, Ministry of Youth & Sports, Hamad International Airport, Hamad Medical Corporation, Msheireb Properties, and Atkins are taking part in the conference.
The first day of the event included presentations by Brig Mohamed al-Malki, general secretary of the National Traffic Safety Committee on “The Importance of safety in parking and requirements” Dr Hamid Menouar from Qatar Mobility Innovations Centre on the topic of “The future of smart parking technology in Qatar” Moen Azimi from Arab Engineering Bureau on “Parking strategies around major sports venues in Qatar” and a panel discussion on the “successful parking strategies and technologies for Qatar”, moderated by Nabeel al-Zaka from Surface Mobility Consultants.