Last Tuesday on the 29th of May, the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai made an announcement that will serve as an added bonus for electric car owners and those that are looking to step into the EV world.
The RTA has earmarked 70 parking spaces exclusively reserved for electric and other eco-friendly vehicles. These specially marked spaces can be found in 40 paid parking zones across the Emirate of Dubai. These parking spaces are highlighted in green outlines. There is also bold lettering in Arabic as well as English that separates the special parking slots from the regular ones. These highlighted spaces can be found in Dubai Marina, Burj Khalifa, Jumeirah Street, the Trade Center area, Central Business Districts and Shaikh Zayed Road.
Only eco-friendly cars can park in these spaces for free up to four hours. Cars parked in the special slots that are not eco-friendly will incur a fine. This green parking initiative of the RTA is part of the first phase towards bringing environmentally friendly vehicles into the mainstream automobile market. RTA's move is also part of a larger goal: to boost sales of electric cars in Dubai and reduce the Emirate's carbon emissions. The mission is called Dubai Green Mobility, and RTA has stepped and introduced a welcome legislation that will surely tip the scales in favor of the EVs when it comes to driving around Dubai.
Buyers of electric vehicles can now claim one more benefit for themselves in addition to free registration, zero annual renewal fees, and a free Salik tag. The RTA is also aiming at converting 50% of the city's taxi fleet to electric by 2021. Currently, 20% of the fleet is all-electric.
