Qatar is set to give final shape to its ‘2017 Parking Master Plan’ which will see introduction of a new parking policy as well as bring plans for new parking lots and the adoption of sophisticated multi-level automated parking systems.

Parking-related problems are on the rise in Qatar with the increase in population and the number of vehicles, reported The Peninsula, citing senior officials from the Ministry of Transport and Communication.

According to technical calculations, commercial and office developments require one parking space for every 65 sq m of floor area, while residential colonies need either one space per 120 sq m or one space per apartment.

With the parking issue worsening day by day, the ministry is racing against time to get the 2017 masterplan ready before the second annual Smart Parking Qatar conference to be held from April 10 to 11.

The second annual Smart Parking Qatar conference, a component of Project Qatar exhibition, will “develop car parking management strategies and innovations for sustainable and livable cities”.

Market sources think that automated mechanised parking systems could be the solution to parking woes particularly in urban areas. These systems can be ideally installed in congested urban areas to provide a quick and reliable solution to parking problems, it stated.