Paid parking brings relief to International City residents as vans, fleets move out

Residents of International City struggled for years to find a parking spot near their apartments. Long lines of vans, trucks and company vehicles filled up the streets every evening, leaving residents circling their own buildings for hours.

That changed after paid parking was introduced earlier this month by Parkin.

Many residents in International City said the area now finally feels like a residential neighbourhood and not a free parking zone for outsiders. “Earlier, our streets were full of vans, mini buses, towing vehicles and even trucks from packers and movers,” said Rizwan Ahmed, a resident of the England Cluster.

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"Most of them were coming from the nearby Al Aweer Vegetable and Fruit Market, and the furniture market. They would park here for the night and leave early morning."

He said it was common to see the same vehicles parked for days. “These vans were not here to visit anyone. This was just free parking for them. Now they are gone, and suddenly there are empty parking spaces.” Residents said the change was visible within days.

Fewer cars

The impact is also being felt within households. Sajid Khan, who lives with his wife and two children, said his family decided to have one car instead of two after paid parking started from February 1.

“We owned two small cars since parking was free before this new rule. But once paid parking was implemented, we sold both cars and bought one bigger family car instead,” said Khan.

He said the decision reduced stress and expenses. “Now we have one vehicle, proper parking permit, and peace of mind. It actually simplified our life.”

Carpooling replaces unused cars

International City has a large population of bachelors and shared accommodations. Earlier, many residents owned individual vehicles, even if work was few minutes away.

Arjun Nair, a bachelor living in the France Cluster, said paid parking forced people to rethink their habits. “In our building, almost everyone had a car earlier,” he said. “Now some have sold their cars, or park it elsewhere and started carpooling. A few friends share one vehicle for work.”

He said the neighbourhood feels calmer. “There are fewer cars, less honking, and less frustration at night. People are planning better instead of dumping their cars here.”

Misuse by businesses

The biggest relief came from the exit of commercial vehicles from the area, residents pointed out.

Mohammed Iqbal, who lived in International City for over eight years, said car rental and used-car businesses were among the biggest users of free parking. “They treated the area like a storage yard. Rental cars, cars for sale, even accident vehicles all were parked here because it was free.”

He added that residents paid the price. “We were paying rent, but outsiders were enjoying our parking. That was unfair.”

‘It finally feels like home’

Paid parking not only created new spaces, it simply returned existing ones to the people who live there. “This area was never meant to handle so many commercial vehicles,” said Rizwan. “Now it feels like the parking is being used by residents, not misused by everyone else.”

While some spillover parking issues have been reported in nearby areas, residents of International City said the change has already improved daily life.

“For the first time in years, I can come home late and still find parking near my building,” said Arjun. “That alone makes a huge difference.”