# Arabian Ranches - Parking Fines



## lachj (Aug 2, 2016)

I live in Arabian Ranches (Saheel) and for the past 2 weeks Dubai Police have been driving through at night and issuing parking fines to anyone parked on the side of the street.

Last week I counted around 25 cars in the 2 streets surrounding mine and I am sure there were more. This morning it was the same story.

This is beyond madness. It is a private community, the cars are on no-through roads and are not obstructing traffic. There are no yellow lines or no parking signs so I do not see how it is within the rights of Dubai Police to issue fines.

The description of the fine is hard to read as in rough Arabic handwriting but something along the lines of "stopping where it is not allowed" I think.

That said - so far the fines have not appeared online and there doesn't appear to be a fine code or number that relates to it so perhaps it is more of a warning?

Does anyone have any idea on this?

Thanks.


----------



## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

Oh they can. They do this in our community - Remraam - every single weekend as well. Cars parked on the roads, pavements, in the sand. All get tickets.


----------



## Roxtec Blue (Jan 14, 2013)

Chocoholic said:


> Oh they can. They do this in our community - Remraam - every single weekend as well. Cars parked on the roads, pavements, in the sand. All get tickets.


They had a spell in Mirador and Palmera in AR too. One guy got a ticket for parking outside his own owned property complete with residents permit in the window which he had paid Emaar an extra 200AED for on his last property service fee


----------



## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Owning properties does not generally give you ownership of the land outside of the property boundary.

Is Dubai different somehow ?


----------



## Felixtoo2 (Jan 16, 2009)

Regarding the fines not showing up online, it may be that they have been issued to your driving licence rather than to your car registration. You can check it using their automated service on 600533333.


----------



## ppapert (Jun 22, 2016)

Money making schemes to the detriment of the honest resident


----------



## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

ppapert said:


> Money making schemes to the detriment of the honest resident


No, people being asked to pay to park their cars on land that doesnt belong to them.

Do you think your tenancy gives you the right to park anywhere you like ?


----------



## Reddiva (Feb 24, 2016)

Years ago my ex got a similar fine for parking on the pavement in the Marina ( yes i know) he had to pay it within a couple of weeks. it wasn't like a speeding fine where you can pay when you register he also had to go to a police station to pay it not the registration place or online, things may of changed but worth finding out


----------



## Reddiva (Feb 24, 2016)

lachj said:


> I live in Arabian Ranches (Saheel) and for the past 2 weeks Dubai Police have been driving through at night and issuing parking fines to anyone parked on the side of the street.
> 
> Last week I counted around 25 cars in the 2 streets surrounding mine and I am sure there were more. This morning it was the same story.
> 
> ...


speak to Emaar they should know. I used to visit the Ranches a lot and parked outside driveways with no issues. I am surprised there is nothing about this on the community boards as usually they announce things


----------



## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

twowheelsgood said:


> No, people being asked to pay to park their cars on land that doesnt belong to them.


Wrong. people being _fined_ to park in common areas. It is a different matter to charge parking rates for parking in common areas, though its debatable whether one should have to pay to park in front of one's home ...


----------



## lachj (Aug 2, 2016)

*Update:*

Update: 
Fine appeared online today - actual reason is:
"Ticket Violations Description : Stopping on the road for no reason"
Fine amount is 500dhs.

I realise I am probably beating my head against a wall but I do not see how parking in a legal place on the side of a private street (ie not in a prohibited area) can be deemed stopping on the road for no reason and be worth 500dhs which is actually more then the fine for parking illegally.

If I had parked on top of the footpath, in the garden, or in a place designated as a prohibited area (yellow lines, no parking sign) it would only be 200dhs. 

So perhaps I can take from this that it is better to park on the footpath in future?


----------



## Roxtec Blue (Jan 14, 2013)

lachj said:


> Update:
> Fine appeared online today - actual reason is:
> "Ticket Violations Description : Stopping on the road for no reason"
> Fine amount is 500dhs.
> ...


Unfortunately you are one of hundreds by the looks of things. My mate in Mirador got another yesterday.


----------



## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

Well, as a regular commuter to Abu Dhabi I've noticed in the last two weeks that the speed cameras on E-11 south of Ibn Battuta are flashing even when only doing 130. So far no fines (crossing fingers).

RTA is on the prowl for additional funding


----------



## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

I thought I was the only one who noticed that 

but funnily did not get flashed last couple of times at 135

given the number of people who use that road every morning, you would expect to hear within a day or 2 of the limit being reduced ...

and the RTA is very prompt in publicly announcing any change in the radar flashing speeds ... so would like to hope it was a trial of some sort to see how many drive above 130


----------



## Byja (Mar 3, 2013)

Tropicana said:


> so would like to hope it was a trial of some sort to see how many drive above 130


Business case evaluation?


----------



## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

I hope so.

The speed limit down where the new flyover is being built for the theme parks is supposed to be 80 but people rarely go below 100, most stay at 120 and plenty sail right through at 140. That's a prime area for speed violations and every day I wonder why they haven't done anything about it. 



Tropicana said:


> I thought I was the only one who noticed that
> 
> but funnily did not get flashed last couple of times at 135
> 
> ...


----------



## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Tropicana said:


> Wrong. people being _fined_ to park in common areas. It is a different matter to charge parking rates for parking in common areas, though its debatable whether one should have to pay to park in front of one's home ...


Wrong.

You do not have permission to park in common areas' at all. You are just calling them common areas and attributing a right to leave your car there because you dont like the outcome.

Its not debatable in the slightest - you own your own property but the land in front of it belongs to the developer. You have no rights whatsoever to that land. The owner can grant you an easement (passage over it) but that doesnt give you the right to stop on it.

Try building on it if you think its yours.


----------



## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

lachj said:


> but I do not see how parking in a legal place on the side of a private street (ie not in a prohibited area) can be deemed stopping on the road for no reason and be worth 500dhs which is actually more then the fine for parking illegally.


....... because its not legal and its a PRIVATE street for which permission to park on the road has not been granted. There seems to be a bit of sense of entitlement infection going around assuming a private, gated community is a public area where anyone can park where they like. The fine is probably higher because both the RTA and the landowner are sending you a bill.

Its funny when western ex-pat enclave campers gets all snippy because their assumed right to park wherever and whenever they like gets clipped 



lachj said:


> So perhaps I can take from this that it is better to park on the footpath in future?


Only if you are looking for a fight.

Try parking in a parking space in future. Its what they are for. the action is probably because people are getting out of control with their random parking and making the streets unsafe for kids to be in.


----------



## Byja (Mar 3, 2013)

twowheelsgood said:


> the action is probably because people are getting out of control with their random parking and making the streets unsafe for kids to be in.


Oh, think of the children!
Cause kids just love stealth taxation.


----------



## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

As far as I can tell this is the first time RTA issued tickets within Arabian Ranches. Surely there must be something to be said that if it's an unchallenged (by Emaar and RTA) common practice to park in those areas, by both residents and visitors, for so long (I've been in Dubai for ten years now) and there are no signs clearly stating parking is not allowed in such areas etc cetera, then the suddenness of these tickets is outright unfair. It has nothing to do with entitlement.



twowheelsgood said:


> ....... because its not legal and its a PRIVATE street for which permission to park on the road has not been granted. There seems to be a bit of sense of entitlement infection going around assuming a private, gated community is a public area where anyone can park where they like. The fine is probably higher because both the RTA and the landowner are sending you a bill.
> 
> Its funny when western ex-pat enclave campers gets all snippy because their assumed right to park wherever and whenever they like gets clipped
> 
> ...


----------



## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

TallyHo said:


> Surely there must be something to be said that if it's an unchallenged (by Emaar and RTA) common practice to park in those areas, by both residents and visitors, for so long (I've been in Dubai for ten years now) and there are no signs clearly stating parking is not allowed in such areas etc cetera, then the suddenness of these tickets is outright unfair. It has nothing to do with entitlement.


Nope.

Non-enforcement of a law e.g. speeding does not make speeding legal. The same goes with parking in areas where it is not permitted by the landowner.

The 'suddenness' is rarely that - its a gradual build up of people with multiple cars, way more than their villa plot can stand, gradually clogging up the roads and someone complains. Out comes the self - entitlement complex telling people 'well we have always done that' as if that somehow invalidates the rules.

The rules dont have to be posted in gated communities as its a private area. Its 100% down to the area owner, who could just as easily ban all cars during certain hours if they wanted.

If you've been in Dubai for 10 years you should know better than to tell anyone something is 'unfair'. Its no different to apartments which are allocated a specific number of parking slots and you have to go elsewhere if you want more slots.


----------



## Chocoholic (Oct 29, 2012)

The police usually start to come round communities if they've been called. I know very well that's the case with ours. We have people parking all over the place, it's a mess as there just isn't enough parking. Fining people for parking on the pavement, blocking others etc I get, but to ticket cars parked on an empty sand lot seems a bit harsh.


----------



## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

You seem to be very familiar with Arabian Ranches? I thought you lived on the Palm?

I'm merely asking because I have no real idea what the real situation was on the Ranches. The few times a year I go there it's never seemed congested and never saw signs saying you couldn't park alongside the street in front of villas (feel free to correct me). It's certainly not standard procedure in most of Dubai that you can't park alongside the street in front of villas (just take a drive through Umm Suqeim or Jumeira or Al Barsha). If there was a law, it's distinctly possible that it was never made clear or signposted and thus the populace doesn't know of it. 

Any actual AR residents able to provide the details? 



twowheelsgood said:


> Nope.
> 
> Non-enforcement of a law e.g. speeding does not make speeding legal. The same goes with parking in areas where it is not permitted by the landowner.
> 
> ...


----------



## lachj (Aug 2, 2016)

It's Tuesday morning and they've been around again - it seems as long as all wheels are on the driveway you're safe. Ironically this means blocking the footpath completely so children have to walk on the road but logic is overrated.

I agree with Tallyho that in communities or high rises usually Emaar or the like will go around and post warnings that it is not allowed to park there and they will notify the police if it continues. This would be fair notification and warning however again, fair is a relative term I guess.

I think that somewhere in the community rules it does say not allowed to park on the street, you must park in the carport (ie garage, but it also says that it can't be a garage, you cant store stuff in there or put a workbench in there, its a carport only). The driveway is deemed to be visitors parks that you can only park in for 4 hours. Only very few areas have public parking on the street designated (by the sub stations generally).

So for now, no-one in ranches should park on the street on Monday nights if they don't want a fine. I'll quietly just settle mine, privately congratulate them for getting me and move on.


----------



## omar92 (Oct 8, 2013)

This happened in Arabian Ranches recently: 

Yes, this parking actually happened in Dubai this week 

Clearly some moronic drivers around AR. Only in Dubai.


----------



## lachj (Aug 2, 2016)

omar92 said:


> This happened in Arabian Ranches recently:
> 
> Yes, this parking actually happened in Dubai this week
> 
> Clearly some moronic drivers around AR. Only in Dubai.


I think the fine code for this is "stopping on another car without reason"


----------

