Officials in Abu Dhabi are cracking down on ‘eye soars’ in and around the area and one of their targets seem to be dirty cars. In an effort to help with the city’s overall appearance, they are handing out hefty fines and towing away cars; residents in and around the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital are outraged with these measures.

What has been happening is that there are many people leaving their vehicles parked (with valid documents) within residential zones in the city, as they leave for travel abroad during the summer. Sadly, as they are off enjoying their holiday, their vehicles are collecting dust and dirt. City officials are thus towing away these disgustingly dirty cars in an effort to help minimize the disfigurement of the Abu Dhabi’s ‘public appearance’; regardless of the fact that many of these parked vehicles are legally entitled to be there, as they do have valid permits to be in their spot.

So the end result? People are going out of their way, and thinning their wallets, by ensuring that their vehicles are cleaned while parked in the city; as a way to avoid the potential large fines and towing.

MSN reported that one local resident, Tarun Tankha, recently stated to a newspaper that a majority of the expatriates who reside in Abu Dhabi do not have access to underground parking in their building. As a result, they have to leave their vehicles in the resident-only parking sections of the city, and they thus ‘pay for that’. Since the city has been cracking down on these vehicles Tankha has asked his building’s security guard to clean his car. In turn, he gives him money for this service.

The city’s municipality has stated that fines for having a dirty vehicle confiscated is Dh3,000, which equals out to about over $800 in U.S. funds. The Municipality also stated these laws have been put in place to protect Abu Dhabi’s public health and appearance. A spokesman for the municipality went to say that approximately 50 cars are fined and towed away each month. Vehicles are then taken to an impound yard.

The spokesperson also stated that if a car is found that disfigures the city’s appearance, a warning is first provided for the owner to remove the vehicle within three business days. If the car is not cleaned or removed by that time a fine is given and the car is confiscated. They noted even further that the number of tows increase during holiday times – and there are a variety of car washing companies that do keep vehicles cleans while car owners are gone.