Editor in Chief
Youssef Sidhom
Watani
عربى English French
  • News
    • Accidents
    • Crime
    • Diplomatic briefcase
    • NewsLine
    • Outside Cairo
    • Special Occasions
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • International media
    • Reader`s Corner
    • Opinion
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • International Politics
    • Islamisation Politics
    • National Affairs
    • Parliament
    • Politics
    • Protests
    • Rights
    • Terrorism
  • Culture
    • Antiquity
    • Art
    • Books
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Egyptology
    • Festivals
    • Films
    • Heritage
    • Islamisation Culture
    • Media
    • Museums
    • Music
    • TV
  • Coptic
    • Church Affairs
    • Coptic Affairs
    • Coptic Culture
    • Copts in the Media
    • Coptology
    • Copts Abroad
    • Religious
      • P. Shenouda: Bible Study
    • Sectarian
    • Inter-religious
    • Holy Family
  • Features
    • Counselling Corner
    • features
    • Economy
      • Business
    • Education
    • Social Issues
      • Behaviour
      • Mothers Day
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Humour
    • In memorial
    • Interviews
    • Nile
    • Profile
    • Special needs
    • Sports
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Wars
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Watani Special Features
    • Egypt – Arab Spring
      • 25 January Revolution
      • 25 Jan revolution, one year on
      • Egypt post-30 June
    • Watani Milestones
      • 20 years Watani International
      • 10 years Watani International
      • Watani Jubilee
    • Pope Shenouda
    • Pope Tawadros
    • Watani Forum
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Accidents
    • Crime
    • Diplomatic briefcase
    • NewsLine
    • Outside Cairo
    • Special Occasions
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • International media
    • Reader`s Corner
    • Opinion
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • International Politics
    • Islamisation Politics
    • National Affairs
    • Parliament
    • Politics
    • Protests
    • Rights
    • Terrorism
  • Culture
    • Antiquity
    • Art
    • Books
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Egyptology
    • Festivals
    • Films
    • Heritage
    • Islamisation Culture
    • Media
    • Museums
    • Music
    • TV
  • Coptic
    • Church Affairs
    • Coptic Affairs
    • Coptic Culture
    • Copts in the Media
    • Coptology
    • Copts Abroad
    • Religious
      • P. Shenouda: Bible Study
    • Sectarian
    • Inter-religious
    • Holy Family
  • Features
    • Counselling Corner
    • features
    • Economy
      • Business
    • Education
    • Social Issues
      • Behaviour
      • Mothers Day
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Humour
    • In memorial
    • Interviews
    • Nile
    • Profile
    • Special needs
    • Sports
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Wars
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Watani Special Features
    • Egypt – Arab Spring
      • 25 January Revolution
      • 25 Jan revolution, one year on
      • Egypt post-30 June
    • Watani Milestones
      • 20 years Watani International
      • 10 years Watani International
      • Watani Jubilee
    • Pope Shenouda
    • Pope Tawadros
    • Watani Forum
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Watani
ع Fr

Legalising an undoable process

Problems on hold

3 September, 2021 - (10:30 AM)
0 0

Youssef Sidhom

Youssef Sidhom
26
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A law was passed in Egypt a year ago to regulate the parking of vehicles on streets, following which the Minister of Local Development issued the bylaws that would ensure the purpose of the law was met. The bylaws served to regulate the licensing of individuals in charge of organising the parking process—such persons, termed sayis in Egyptian Arabic, had always exercised their tasks informally—and to designate the spaces and hours in which a vehicle may be parked without disrupting traffic.

Everyone was under the impression that the law would first be implemented in streets or parking lots that have randomly sprung up close to public facilities, markets, mass transport stations or the like, where parking is in high demand and where well planned parking facilities are absent or insufficient. Such spaces have long been notorious for the random character of the service offered, or rather imposed, there. Once a vehicle drives in, the driver is approached by one or more sayis who guide the car to a spot where it may be parked and demand a fee that may be a flat or hourly rate. When the place is already crammed, the sayis may demand that the driver leaves the car keys to him so that he could move it around as needed. The entire process is fraught with risk and misgiving, but a driver who needs to park may have no other option but to oblige, regardless of how unreasonably high the parking charge may be, how questionable the integrity of the sayis or the matter of leaving the car keys is. It is not surprising that the practice gave rise to many an argument or fight. The new law regulated it all by bringing it under control of local government, granting licence to approved sayis, and setting a fair fee.

Some local authorities, however, apparently had an appetite for more control; they decided to set up a system to regulate the parking of private vehicles in front of the residences of the owners of the cars. They announced regulations and conditions to be observed by whoever wishes to acquire licence to park a car in front of their residence against a subscription or monthly fee. These conditions included applying to the “Technological Citizen Service Centre” with photocopies of the car owner’s ID and driving licence, and filling a form requesting a parking space. The local administration in question inspects the area and issues an approval in exchange for a monthly fee of EGP300 plus taxes. Accordingly, the applicant is granted licence to place a signpost with his or her name on the parking space allotted, and pay for fencing their parking spaces. Ironically, this is exactly what many people in Egypt have been doing for ages prior to any law or regulations; they ensure their private parking spaces in front of their homes through fencing them or using chains or even concrete blocks to block them. So what have local authorities actually brought to the table? And what guarantee will be given to subscribers in exchange for the yearly EGP4000-fee other than a signpost with the car owner’s name?

The new system goes beyond legalising public parking into encroaching on privacy. People are angrily asking whether this is a novel form of taxation or simply the government’s endeavour to legalise a situation through undoable regulations.

I know that some will rush to defend the situation by claiming that the system of allotting parking spaces in front of private buildings is applied in all developed countries. But let me remind them that in these countries one parking space or more is allotted to each residential unit according to the number of units in the building, in nearby parking areas, or alongside an adjacent park. So how can local authorities here in overcrowded Egypt secure this for all buildings that fall under the new system? Who will be given priority to get the available parking spaces? And where will those who do not get allotted parking spaces park their cars?

The parking system applied in the West hinges on allocating parking spaces in the planning and design of any given residential compound or neighbourhood. Parking areas usually intercept residential buildings which are built with reasonable space intervals, or parking is allocated in the basements of the buildings. It is absurd and unacceptable to suddenly pounce on existing contiguous buildings in our streets in order to implement the new bylaws, totally oblivious of estimating the number of vehicles and parking spaces required.

How will all the vehicles of residents of any given building park in front of the building? In fact, even prior to the government’s new decision, residents of many buildings had resorted to parking their cars perpendicular to the pavements in front of their buildings. But alas, one year ago, simultaneously with the plans to expand many roads to ensure better traffic fluidity, the traffic department banned all perpendicular stationing. This was an oppressive procedure that disregarded the needs of residents who thus had to resort to parking in side and back streets, overburdening these streets and overcrowding them. Will this situation remain the same, or will the local government reconsider perpendicular parking when it starts implementing the new system? And will the new system work, or will it prove undoable?

Watani International

3 September 2021

Comments

comments

Tags: Law regulating parking of vehiclesparking EgyptProblems on holdsayisWataniYoussef Sidhom

Related Posts

Youssef Sidhom
Editorial

Church up to societal challenges

August 5, 2022
Youssef Sidhom
Editorial

The Russia Ukraine war: What strategy experts say

July 29, 2022
Youssef Sidhom
Editorial

Bright days for Egypt and the Church: History replayed

July 23, 2022
Youssef Sidhom
Editorial

On tax relief law

July 15, 2022
Youssef Sidhom
Editorial

Family Law for Christians in Egypt: Gender equality on hold

July 8, 2022
Youssef Sidhom
Editorial

International North Coastal Road: Gilding the Lily

July 1, 2022

Discussion about this post

Editorial

Church up to societal challenges

More

MOST READ

Misraga and mishkah: lighting the dark
Culture

Misraga and mishkah: lighting the dark

August 4, 2022
0

“And God said let there be light, and there was light”; so says the Bible in the Book of Genesis....

Read more
Baron’s palace…Story of Heliopolis

Baron’s palace…Story of Heliopolis

July 8, 2020
For 28 years in Port Said: Holy Virgin icon still drips miraculous oil

For 28 years in Port Said: Holy Virgin icon still drips miraculous oil

February 26, 2018
Coptic shop owner selling alcohol stabbed in neck

Coptic shop owner selling alcohol stabbed in neck

August 2, 2022
Tamav Irene (1936 – 2006): Life of Prayer

Tamav Irene (1936 – 2006): Life of Prayer

October 30, 2020

Features

ID cards for underprivileged women
E Choise

ID cards for underprivileged women

August 8, 2022
0

An initiative has been launched in the northern Delta town of Kafr al-Sheikh, some 143km north of Cairo, to facilitate...

Read more
Watani started as an Egyptian weekly Sunday newspaper published in Cairo. The word Watani is Arabic for “My Homeland”. The paper was founded in 1958 by the prominent Copt Antoun Sidhom (1915 – 1995), who strove for the establishment of a civil, democratic society in Egypt, where all Egyptians would enjoy full citizenship rights regardless of their religious denomination. To this day when Watani is published as a weekly paper and an online news site, the objective remains the same. Those in charge of Watani view this role as a patriotic all-Egyptian vocation. Special attention is given to shedding light on Coptic culture and tradition as authentically Egyptian, this being a topic largely disregarded or little-understood by Egypt’s media. Watani is deeply dedicated to offer its readers high quality, extensive, objective, credible and well-researched media coverage, with special focus on Coptic issues, culture, heritage, and contribution to Egyptian society.
-----------------------------------------------------------

27 Abdel Khalek Tharwat st, Downtown, Abdeen,Cairo

00202-23927201

00202-23935946

 [email protected]

      

categories

  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Egypt – Arab Spring
  • Coptic Affairs
  • Features
  • Watani Special Features

Recent Posts

  • MoU between Coptic Church and Namibian Prison Service
  • ID cards for underprivileged women
  • Mountain of the Birds: New site opened on Trail of Holy Family in Egypt
  • 7th anniversary of opening New Suez Canal: New record achieved
  • Church up to societal challenges
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Culture
  • Egypt – Arab Spring
  • Coptic Affairs
  • Features
  • Watani Special Features

Powered BY 3A Digital.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Accidents
    • Crime
    • Diplomatic briefcase
    • NewsLine
    • Outside Cairo
    • Special Occasions
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • International media
    • Reader`s Corner
    • Opinion
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • International Politics
    • Islamisation Politics
    • National Affairs
    • Parliament
    • Politics
    • Protests
    • Rights
    • Terrorism
  • Culture
    • Antiquity
    • Art
    • Books
    • Culture
    • Drama
    • Egyptology
    • Festivals
    • Films
    • Heritage
    • Islamisation Culture
    • Media
    • Museums
    • Music
    • TV
  • Coptic
    • Church Affairs
    • Coptic Affairs
    • Coptic Culture
    • Copts in the Media
    • Coptology
    • Copts Abroad
    • Religious
      • P. Shenouda: Bible Study
    • Sectarian
    • Inter-religious
    • Holy Family
  • Features
    • Counselling Corner
    • features
    • Economy
      • Business
    • Education
    • Social Issues
      • Behaviour
      • Mothers Day
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Humour
    • In memorial
    • Interviews
    • Nile
    • Profile
    • Special needs
    • Sports
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Wars
    • Women
    • Youth
  • Watani Special Features
    • Egypt – Arab Spring
      • 25 January Revolution
      • 25 Jan revolution, one year on
      • Egypt post-30 June
    • Watani Milestones
      • 20 years Watani International
      • 10 years Watani International
      • Watani Jubilee
    • Pope Shenouda
    • Pope Tawadros
    • Watani Forum

Powered BY 3A Digital.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Posting....