For all things bikes

Some echoes of a bicycle license that might come into being in Dubai have resonated for a while now. The license would cost roughly 400 Dirhams, the equivalent of 70 pounds approximately.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi share the same bicycle story. As residents usually have their own private car to commute, public transport is generally used by tourists and those residents who cannot afford to have their own car. Therefore, bicycles are, for the lower class echelons, a very popular means of transport as they provide a good alternative to public transport.

The big problem with introducing such a significant license fee is that the majority of cyclists simply cannot afford it: they use bicycles because of the fact that they are cheap - if not the cheapest - ways of traveling, and they use the simplest kinds of bicycles.

On the other hand, the idea of establishing a bicycle license might be a very positive move for the emirate as the culture of 'safe cycling' is not very strong, if present at all. Those who cycle do not wear helmets, cross red lights, do not use bicycle lightning, do not wear suitable clothing, never use hand signs to signal which way they are going and some even cycle in the opposite direction of the traffic…

Imposing a license, obtainable through a safety regulations examination, would be very conducive towards increased safety, but another problem does prevail. Cycling lanes, proper signage for cyclists and general cycling awareness are virtually nonexistent. Also, it is illegal in Dubai to cycle on pavements and in many of the parks, which does not make the city a very bicycle-friendly one and in turn, which means increased danger for cyclists. Moreover, car-users do not have much consideration for cyclists and traffic can often be quite chaotic, which means even more risk.

In 2009, the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority did announce however that they will build about 900 km of cycling lanes within the city, but this project will take about 10 years to complete. Thus, major changes should be made towards becoming bicycle-friendly both in infrastructure and awareness, before or with the introduction of a license.

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