Free Parking

When I came to Qatar in 2005, there was only one parking place that charges the patrons which is the airport parking. The rest of Qatar is free parking for all including the kerbs and whatever space you can squeeze your car on.

A few years later, they started dishing out summons those who park on kerbs and slap you with three demerit points while they are at it. (maximum demerit points is 14 for license suspension (i think)).

Then i think it was last year that they "beautify" the open parking space at the most prominent souk here - Souk Waqif. With a toll booth, clearly identifed lines for your parking bay, smaller space to park for everyone's mostly 5.4 gazoline drinker vehicles and smaller space to manouver as you reverse your car to get out and they began to charge you QR3 per entry.

This year the first major shopping mall is beginning to follow suit. With a whopping QR2 for one hour, QR5 for two hours, QR8 for three hours and QR10 each for further hours. The reason, as quoted by management which had inputs from loyal shoppers, is the difficulty to find parking at the mall because many selfish users are parking without actually going to the mall rather to work at nearby offices.

EVERYONE LOVES TO PAY FOR THEIR PARKING SPACE

Oh well.

So I went the other day, forgetting that they are already charging the parking. When I got there and saw the booth and the gantry and the signboard about the parking charges, I regretted immediately for coming. (We can still enjoy free parking elsewhere here). The parking space has gotten smaller. Also they put a sensor on the floor in a form of two small humps thus not allowing my long car to enter fully into the bay.

Anyway when I am done with shopping (got three scarves really nice and cheap. Wee heee)), I proceeded to the parking meter machine. Lo and behold! It was out of service! Great! And there is only one machine there. No information was put, so I had to assume that there is another parking meter machine at another exit in the middle of the mall.

Lo and behold again! It was also out of service!

Getting a bit pissed off, had to walk further to find another machine.

Lo and behold again and again! It says it is out of service in arabic!

Bleargh!

Went to the information counter and calming myself while at that. It is an ugly sight to see a woman screaming at an information counter I think.

So I asked and the info counter girl said, oh it is still free.

Lo and behold!

Ceh!

In my defense, the papers said initially 1st of july then they said 18th July. When I went it was after 18th. Plus they should put some signange telling us that it is still free.

Alhamdulillah for calming down.