Maldives Police Service (MPS) has affirmed there is no shortage of parking spaces in capital Male' City and that many road safety issues can be solved if the public adheres to existing rules and regulations about parking vehicles.
The Chief Station Inspector for Police Thal'hath Ahmed told RaajjeTV's 'Fala Suruhee' programme that the issue of parking vehicles is one of the biggest barriers to road safety in Male' and that such a trend is beginning to appear in its reclaimed suburban district Hulhumale' as well.
He went on to state many efforts were being made to solve this problem, such as the additional 22 parking zones that were installed within Male' over the past year to curb the issue of vehicular congestion.
Thal'hath said that there are many parking spaces in Male' that the public need to familiarize themselves with in order to park their vehicles in an orderly manner, and that the police were working on programmes to help disseminate that message to citizens of the city.
Referring to the new amendments to the Land Transport Act, Thal'hath said that there are a lot of eases because of this.
"The simplest answer to this is introducing a vehicle limit, but right now the law is giving us a lot of ease when it comes to parking regulation. This means that we need to change our perception of this law and start to consider alternative angles in which we can do better. This government is committed to tackling this parking issue as high up as the Vice President [Faisal Naseem], and they have begun working to create permanent solutions to parking difficulties"Chief Station Inspector of Police, Thal'hath Ahmed
Thal'hath also explained that there are more factors to consider when police take action against parking violators than just towing vehicles including whether vehicles are parked in or in front of intersections, schools, mosques, gated public properties, zebra crosses and areas cordoned as no-parking zones as per existing laws. He stated that such parking habits cause a lot of harm and discomfort to pedestrians and other drivers, and that they contribute to many dangerous, potentially fatal road accidents that could be avoided.
Sub-Inspector of Police Mohamed Naeem also joined on the programme and expressed the importance of a collective effort to make the city's roads a safer place to all. He said that during the city-wide lockdown that followed this year's Covid-19 pandemic, all the vehicles were parked in designated zones in adherence to the law, and that there were still free spaces that were observed.
"We need to think about what is easy for everyone, even those who drive. Something that does not disturb one person may disturb the other, and there is enough space now available for us to park our vehicles and do it well"Sub-Inspector of Police, Mohamed Naeem
Naeem went on to reiterate the importance of all citizens adhering to the laws and regulations regarding parking so that the roads in Male' City can be made safe and peaceful for all those who use it.
