Residents warn paid visitor parking could add pressure on households with multiple cars.
Dubai: “If this goes ahead, the cost could be as much as Dh2,700 a month for someone relying on visitor parking, which is a significant additional expense for many people in the community,” said Andreas Lambri, a homeowner in Uptown Motor City.
Homeowners and residents of the gated Dubai community have raised concerns over plans to introduce paid parking in designated visitor spaces, saying the move could place an added financial burden on households with multiple vehicles.
The new paid parking system is being introduced by Parkonic and Salik in collaboration with community management company EDACOM. According to an EDACOM notice, visitor parking will become chargeable from September 3, 2026, at a proposed rate of Dh5 per hour, around the clock, including weekends and public holidays.
“We are not opposed to improving parking management, but introducing 24/7 paid parking in a gated community places an additional financial burden on visitors, owners, tenants and businesses. One of the current issues is that there is no clear way to distinguish between residents and visitors using the parking spaces. So, when the paid system is introduced, how will this distinction be made? Many households have only one or two allocated parking spaces but may have an additional car, so this could have a significant impact on families,” Lambri said.
EDACOM responds
EDACOM said the new system applies only to designated visitor parking areas and does not introduce additional charges for owners or residents using their allocated spaces.
“The system does not introduce any additional charges for owners or residents using their designated parking spaces. Residents will continue to access and use their allocated parking spaces as usual,” the company said.
EDACOM said the new parking measures are intended to ensure visitor spaces remain available to genuine visitors and retail customers, while improving parking availability, traffic flow and overall community management.
However, residents have raised concerns that households with additional vehicles may need to rely on visitor parking. In response, EDACOM said long-term parking options would be available for those requiring additional spaces.
“For owners and residents who require additional parking beyond their allocated spaces, long-term parking options are also available through Parkonic. Further information on the available options and applicable rates can be provided upon request,” the company said.
Why is paid parking being introduced?
EDACOM told Gulf News that the new parking measures have been introduced in response to existing parking challenges within the community, including illegal and random parking, overcrowding in residential parking areas, prolonged use of visitor spaces and abandoned or neglected vehicles.
“The new system will use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to monitor vehicles and help ensure visitor parking spaces remain available for their intended purpose,” EDACOM said.
The company also said the parking system is being introduced in line with Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) requirements. Homeowners and residents have raised their concerns with RERA over the introduction of paid parking within the gated community.
Residents said the proposed charges could affect households that regularly receive family members, friends and other legitimate visitors.
“Residents inviting family or friends, children having visitors, relatives spending the day, caregivers, tutors, tradespeople and other legitimate guests could potentially incur hourly parking charges simply by visiting somebody living within the community,” residents said in a collective statement to Gulf News.
Homeowners seek clarity on parking revenue and charges
Homeowners have also questioned whether the introduction of paid visitor parking should affect existing service or Master Community/Usage Charges.
“Owners already pay substantial building service charges as well as master community/usage charges for the management, maintenance, security and operation of the wider community. The service charges we pay, which have been increased, should go towards solving the parking management issues, including overcrowding and abandoned vehicles,” residents said.
Residents raise concerns over consultation process
EDACOM said residents and homeowners were informed about the planned parking changes one month before implementation.
“The new parking system is expected to take effect from September 3, 2026. Owners and residents were informed of the change a month in advance to give them sufficient time to understand the new arrangements and prepare accordingly.
“The initiative is designed to support the needs of the community by improving traffic flow, enhancing accessibility and ensuring more efficient management of visitor parking areas.
“As reassurance, we would like to clarify that EDACOM will continue to monitor the implementation and take community feedback into consideration as the system becomes operational. Meanwhile, we look forward to residents’ support in implementing the system, particularly during the initial stages.”
However, some homeowners said there had been insufficient consultation with the owners’ committee and residents before the decision was made.
“There has so far been little meaningful engagement with owners collectively and, in our view, no substantive explanation addressing the principal concerns,” residents said in a statement.
“These objections were raised before implementation, giving EDACOM an opportunity to explain the scheme, disclose the relevant approvals and engage with owners. Instead, many owners feel the decision has effectively been presented as a fait accompli while the substantive objections remain unanswered,” they added.
Residents said they are not opposed to improving parking management and acknowledge that the community faces genuine parking challenges. However, they believe visitor spaces should remain available for genuine visitors rather than being converted into a 24-hour commercial paid parking facility within a residential community.
