Cairo to establish smart parking lots to reduce traffic congestion

CAIRO – 22 July 2018: Cairo Governorate is currently working on implementing multi-story smart parking lots, which can hold up a great number of cars, to resolve Cairo’s chaotic and congested traffic and the widely spread phenomenon of a car keeper, known as the “sayes”.

Cairo Governorate's Secretary-General Mohamed el-Sheikh told Egypt Today that the governorate has determined the areas where smart garages will be established to reduce traffic congestion.

In the same context, Director of Cairo’s Housing Directorate Hany Chenishin referred that the governorate seeks to build a number of smart garages above the ground, which can be dismantled and reinstalled in the congested areas.

He referred that they can hold up to more than six cars, and that the capacity could be doubled, adding that they will be funded by the governorate.

He stressed that a German delegation is currently visiting the suggested areas to carry out the necessary designs and identify the costs of building the garages, which will be determined based on their areas.

According to a study published by the World Bank in 2013 “Cairo Traffic Congestion", traffic congestion costs Egypt LE 50 billion ($8 billion) a year, which is four percent of Egypt’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

This loss is caused by the productivity wasted when citizens spend most of their time held up in traffic rather than at work, the fuel wasted and the pollution caused by vehicle emissions.

Hence, plans are set to resolve the traffic congestion,including the smart parking systems. Electronic Roxy parking, Egypt’s first a high-tech, fully automated underground parking garage, is under construction.

Located between Hegaz square and the Ghernata block in Roxy, the garage comprises of four underground levels, with the capacity of 1700 cars. It has 12 electronic elevators equipped with batteries to lift and transfer cars to storage racks.

"The second phase of the garage is expected to be completed in December 2018," Roxy Parking’s Chairman Mahmoud Farrag announced at BATIMAT on March 10.
Other underground garages across Cairo are set to be built to improve the traffic flow, including two in Tahrir square.

In this regard, many cities across the world continue to follow the smart parking industry.
“The future of the smart parking market is expected to be significantly influenced by the arrival of automated vehicles (AVs). Several cities around the world are already beginning to trial self-parking vehicles, specialized AV parking lots, and robotic parking valets,” according to Forbes.