Dubai police crack down on quad bikes

DUBAI — The Dubai Police Traffic Department has launched a campaign against quad bikes, often used by children and teenagers on the main streets without a licence.

By Salah El Debarkey

Published: Thu 28 Sep 2006, 9:16 AM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 1:54 PM

The crackdown on riders of the quad bikes will continue extensively during the holy month of Ramadan, for riders often take to the streets before and after Iftar, and keep endangering their lives and others till 2am, said Brigadier Mohammed Saif Al Zafeeb, Director of the Traffic Department.

He expressed regret over the ignorance of parents and guardians of the young riders to the danger of using such bikes.

He said parents buy quad bikes for their kids as a reward for passing school exams, unaware that such an initiative would lead in the end to a real tragedy. Elaborating, he said no technical specifications are available for these bikes.

Riding of quad bikes during Ramadan last year had resulted in 19 accidents; in which 20 children were hurt. Of the injured, a child was killed, three were seriously injured, nine sustained moderate injuries, and 7 got light injuries, he recalled.

More than 30 police officers are roaming about the streets round the clock at the head of patrols to seize and confiscate these bikes, which are not meant for riding on the streets, but in open space or in the desert, Brigadier Zafeen said.

Two quad bikes were seized and confiscated on the first day since the campaign was launched, compared with 27 quad bikes being confiscated on the same month last year, he recalled.

Children riding quad bikes pose a threat to others and endanger their own lives, as they are not committed to ride in traffic lanes nor do they adhere to traffic signals, he noted.

The places designated for the use of quad bikes are parks and farms and not the main streets. In reply to a question on traffic congestion on Dubai roads, Brigadier Al Zafeen, who is a road expert engineer said setting different timings for different departments and companies at half-hour gaps will result in lessening the traffic jams at peak hours in the morning and evening and at all times.

The most important part of the traffic congestion, which has been said quite often is that these roads which were constructed thirty years ago cannot take in the present vehicular traffic, because there is no compatibility between the traffic lanes, a matter which was not considered in the past.