Cyclists violating rules will be fined
Bicycles like other modes of transportation are covered by the Traffic Law and the Traffic Department detects several violations by cyclists on a daily basis, a senior official has disclosed.
The violations include riding on walkways dedicated for pedestrians, failure to wear helmets, not keeping the right side of the road and riding bicycles without proper lights.
"The Traffic law has set rules for bicycle users in the city and there are punishments for those violating the law," said Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Radi Al Hajri, Director of Media and Awareness section at the Traffic Department.
He said Article 1 of the Traffic Law refers to every means of land transport that use wheels and engines or move by body force.
Bicycles come under this definition in terms of technical specifications, safety and even qualifying the user, said the official.
"The only difference between bicycles and other vehicles is that they are not registered and a licence is not required to ride them. But this does not mean that they are out of the law," said Al Hajri.
He said cycling is not part of the local culture and foreigners are more used to that. Most violations involving cyclists are detected in the Industrial Area, especially in the commercial streets. [Read more on The Peninsula]
remove this picture.. u cant just upload anyone's picture without taking his permission.. i know this guy.. u have no rights to take pics from facebook and use it..
What about the young cyclists driving on the corniche which is more of a pedestrian traffic? Are these rules applicable for them as well?
I sincerely doubt these so called "cycle riders violators" would be reading this post.
i guess the vehicles of the authorities are not fast enough to catch the speeding LCs instead they resort to catching people who are slower!!!
great.. just saw a local native, riding his bungee in front of a police vehicle at Wakra main street on the fast lane..! (not chasing. even the cop ignored that guy..!)
Erm....wouldn't it make more sense to prioritise more stringent penalties for drivers caught using their mobile phones whilst driving. This is something that I observe on a daily basis and as a resident of Doha this practice concerns me very much. Surely, this deserves attention from the traffic department. A driver caught using their mobile phone in the U.K can get a maximum fine if 1000 GBP, equivalent to 5500 QAR. Given the financial status of many of the residents of Qatar is there now any excuse for hands free not to be used?