Users of the prepaid car parks in downtown Jeddah are complaining that they cannot find coins to pay the toll while others said they do not know how to use the equipment in the first place.

Tariq Abdullah, a Saudi citizen, said while he was looking for coins to pay the parking price, he was surprised that the supervisor of the operating company handed him a violation ticket.

Abdul Aleem Samir, another citizen, said some people do not simply know how to benefit from the service especially that the machines are down on many occasions.

“This is a big problem facing people who try to park in the Balad area,” he said. Amir Bakatheer, a Yemeni expatriate, liked the idea of the prepaid car parks and called for using it on all streets in Jeddah. He, however, said society should be enlightened about the correct use of these parks.

Hussein Al-Ghamdi, a frequent visitor to downtown, hoped that the parking would be made free to spare him the headache of finding coins.

A number of users hoped that the service would be further expanded and said it would end the problem of traffic congestion in the city center. They called for increasing the number of these lots to ensure enough parking places for the increasing number of cars.

Tariq Al-Harbe, who welcomed the idea of the prepaid car parks, said the municipality should think of the comfort of the citizens and expatriates rather than making a profit. On its part, the Jeddah municipality said the idea was to organize traffic and prevent the incorrect parking.

It said the prepaid car parks would provide enough space for pedestrians and shoppers to move easily in the downtown area.

The municipality further said the parks would facilitate the traffic flow and enable the ambulances and the Civil Defense vehicles to pass easily through the streets of Balad. It said the pavements would be rehabilitated in view of the increasing tourist traffic and the commercial importance of the area to make it safe for pedestrians, particularly people with special needs.

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