Aswan citizens object to parking ban

CAIRO – 27 February 2017: Citizens in Aswan Governorate in Upper Egypt started a social media campaign with the hashtag #where_to_park in objection to the governor’s decision to forbid parking along the Aswan Corniche, Al-Masry Al-Youm

reported

on Sunday.

The governor’s decision has triggered a wave of anger and criticism among citizens who say the corniche area is one of the most important districts in Aswan and includes government offices, banks, medical labs and services that they need access to on a daily basis. They added that side streets are too narrow and overcrowded to allow parking.

Aswan Governor Magdy Fouad Hegazy justified the resolution, saying, “we are seeking to restore the civilized appearance of the city, since all foreign tourists and visitors visit the corniche and parking causes the accumulation of a huge amount of trash, in addition to causing security problems.”

Hegazy added that citizens have previously coped with this situation when President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi visited Aswan and life continued as normal, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.

Hegazy said 400 car owners benefit from parking on the corniche, compared to 400,000 citizens he says will benefit from the parking ban.