Qatar Launches Parking Master Plan

As parking related problems are on the rise in Qatar with an increase in population and the number of vehicles, The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has launched the Qatar Parking Master Plan and will develop a geographic information system (GIS), smart applications for future parking plans, and the adoption of sophisticated multi-level automated parking systems.

“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. [It] 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 labor expansion,” announced Rashed Taleb al-Nabit, assistant undersecretary for Land Transport, MoTC. “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.”

The plan includes surveys to gauge people’s experiences of parking lots and other parking-related factors and the development of a guide for the design of parking spaces based on international practices, traffic flow, and types of vehicles in Qatar.

“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, said al-Nabit.