Dubai parking inspector's arsenal: Google Glass…

Have you ever been whistled at in a parking area? Was your vehicle snapped on a camera while you left it for a minute? If so, you must have been double-parking your vehicle.

Double parking is a violation and can be fined with Dh200. But the traditional paper fine is not the only measure applied to curtail violators. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Police have a handful of tools to catch violators in the act.

Whereas the RTA controls the paid-parking zone, Dubai Police monitors the unpaid parking areas. “Double parking is a violation in any case,” explained Adel Al Marzouki, Director of Parking at the RTA.

“There are drop-off zones where it is allowed to halt the car for this purpose, but if there is no dedicated area, double parking is not allowed and can be fined with Dh200.”

However, motorists can get away with a warning if they are present in their car. “If the driver is in the car, the parking inspector may blow a whistle instructing him to move,” said Al Marzouki.

“Inspectors may not want to approach the driver because it could lead to an argument. Instead, he may blow a whistle. This means that the driver should move away from where he is parked, or he risks a fine. It is a warning.”

Alternatively, the inspector could go up to the driver and instruct him to move, or he could fine the violator right away. However, if the driver is present, he usually gets away with a warning, Al Marzouki explained.

The situation changes when the driver is not in the vehicle that is double parked in a non-designated area. In this case, issuance of a fine is most likely. In addition, the vehicle may be captured on camera to provide evidence of the violation.

“In the past, we witnessed incidents where the driver would object the fine based on the argument that he was present in the car and only double-parked for a few minutes, while the inspector claimed that there was nobody in the car. To avoid this, inspectors may snap a picture of the double-parked vehicle,” explained Al Marzouki.

Added to the arsenal of tools used by the parking inspector is also the smartphone, which replaces the ‘old-fashioned’ inspection device. “From this year, the inspectors will be carrying Samsung Note 3,” said Al Marzouki.

“The current device is unnecessary large. The smartphone is much smaller and also includes the camera needed for the inspection. It allows us to communicate with the inspectors and they can take it home. They only need to carry a portable printer for the ticket to be issued.”

To upgrade the technological advances of the team even more, a study is currently carried out to introduce Google Glass to the inspector’s equipment. Google Glass will automatically detect an illegally parked car, showing a red light. A green light indicates that the car is parked legally, Al Marzouki explained.

Double-parking is a common problem in some areas in Dubai, and residents are encouraged to point out problem areas to the RTA.

When an area is described as a problem area, the RTA can respond by carrying out a study and possibly applying measures such as developing a drop-off zone, Al Marzouki pointed out.

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