Consumers have reported that the tight parking spaces in some shopping centers expose their vehicles to damage when opening doors of adjacent cars due to the close proximity. They explained to «Emirates Today» that the limited parking spaces compared to the size of modern cars make the process of parking difficult, especially during peak hours and before entering shopping centers, calling for a necessary review of parking designs and increasing their space to accommodate large cars and modern models. Specialists in the retail sector stated that parking spaces are subject to approved engineering standards set by specialized authorities when granting building permits for shopping centers, noting that some large vehicles, by their nature, do not fit into standard parking spaces.
Difficulty and Damage
In detail, consumer Waleed Said stated that he faces difficulty parking his car in some shopping centers due to the cramped space, which increases the likelihood of his car getting scratched or dented from neighboring cars, especially when opening doors to get in or out. Consumer Hitham Saleh emphasized the need to expand parking spaces in shopping centers to suit modern car sizes, as tight parking makes it hard to align cars and often leads to door collisions with adjacent cars when opening or exiting, as vehicles are parked very close due to limited space.
Consumer Karim Ibrahim said that his car doors have actually been damaged several times due to tight parking in some centers, forcing shoppers to park their cars tightly together, and called for a necessary redesign of parking spaces and increasing their area to provide a safer place without affecting the total number of parking spots, by expanding with new parking lots in shopping centers. Consumer Mohamed Khalid noted the importance of a comprehensive development of parking spaces in terms of area and number to match the population growth and increasing popularity of shopping centers, adding that increasing parking space area helps facilitate the parking process and protects cars from door friction damage, especially since many modern cars are large.
Approved Standards
Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Lulu Group, Nanda Kumar, stated that parking spaces in shopping centers adhere to approved global engineering standards and receive certification from official authorities that grant building permits for shopping centers, noting that no complaints have been received from consumers about tight parking in the past period, as the same standards applied in various shopping centers are implemented. Director of Public Relations at Mercato and Town Centre Jumeirah, Nasrin Bastani, said that parking space dimensions are determined according to well-studied engineering standards, not randomly, and they suit vehicle sizes, noting that no complaints related to tight parking have been recorded in previous periods.
Policy
In the same context, retail expert Ibrahim Al Bahir confirmed that parking spaces in shopping centers are created according to specific standards not less than the allowed limits, and their number can be increased according to each center's policy. He said that specialized authorities supervise the application of these standards, whether the parking is inside or outside the centers, pointing out that some large cars, by nature, do not fit into standard parking spaces, which creates an issue in some cases. Al Bahir explained that the number of parking spaces in any shopping center is determined based on the center's area and the number of stores in it according to the standards approved in the country, to achieve a balance between space and the number of available parking spaces, with the possibility of increasing their number when needed to meet shoppers' needs and ensure their comfort.
Consumers: The limited parking spaces compared to the size of large cars make the process of parking vehicles difficult.
