RTA and Dubai Police coordinate policies of jet skis, motorbikes and quad bikes

The meeting also discussed parking of heavy vehicles at residential areas and on hard shoulder of highways. Other matters reviewed included parking of vehicles on pavements in the city and reports of accidents & radars.

The meeting was attended from the RTA by Abdul Mohsin Ibrahim, CEO of Strategy & Corporate Services Sector, Ahmed Hashem Bahrouzian, CEO of Licensing Agency, Nabeel Mohammed Saleh, Acting CEO of Traffic & Roads Agency, Khaled Al Zahed, Acting Director of Marine Agency, and a number of departmental directors.

From Dubai Police attended Brigadier engineer Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, Director of the General Dep't of Traffic, and Brigadier Abdul Jalil Mahdi, Deputy Director of the General Dep't of Criminal Security.

At the outset of the meeting, Al Tayer hailed the fruitful cooperation between the RTA and Dubai Police; which yielded a number of joint awareness campaigns, and proactive coordination on traffic enforcement, in a clear demonstration of the strategic partnership between the two parties.

Discussions covered the Implementation Chart of Using & Licensing Jet Skis, Motorbikes and Quad Bikes Regulation; which stipulates the conditions, requirements and specifications needed for licensing & driving jet skis and motorbikes.

According to the said rule, RTA Marine Agency employees will be empowered to perform judicial enforcement duties in establishing evidences actions and infractions made in breach of the statutory provisions. For the sake of compiling enforcement and offence reports, they may seek support of policemen and coast guards.

RTA has approached Dubai Municipality on allocating locations for practicing jet ski sport in Mamzer Beach, Dubai Creek near the Creek Park, Marina near Dubai Festival City, Dubai Marina.

RTA will immediately appoint an inspector to streamline the business of jet ski sport and issue tickets against violating jet skis. There are 11 types of jet ski offences with fines along with impounding of the jet ski. Similarly there are 15 types of offences against jet skis renting offices with fines, in addition to impounding of the jet ski. Punishment might be escalated to suspend the commercial license temporarily or permanently, as well as closing the rental office.

Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mezaina stated that practicing jet skiing is entirely banned in the area extending from Burj Al Arab in the East up to Dubai Dry Dock so as to provide a safe haven for swimmers and sea goers.

As far as quad bikes are concerned, the rule entitled RTA Licensing Agency staff to act as judicial enforcement officers in establishing offences made to the rule within the licensed zones, while Dubai Police will tackle offenders outside the licensed zones. It has been agreed to form a joint work team from RTA Licensing Agency and Dubai Police General Dep't Traffic / Traffic Attorney to prepare the Implementation Chart of Quad Bikes Regulation.

The meeting also reviewed parking of heavy vehicles in residential area and on hard shoulders of highways, and parking vehicles on pavements of residential districts. It has been agreed to launch a combined campaign to report offending trucks. It was agreed that RTA inspectors will supply the General Dep't of Traffic with images of trucks / vehicles parked on pavements or hard shoulders of highways to issue them with traffic offence tickets. Violating trucks will be towed away off the road for safety of road users and avert collision with these heavy vehicles.

Brigadier Al Zaffien revealed the General Dep't of Traffic issued more than 50 thousand tickets trucks during the last six month.

The meeting called for expediting efforts of 450 radars and it has been agreed that a team of RTA Traffic Dep't & Dubai Police General Dep't of Traffic to discuss the possible locations for installing radars, depending on the hazard of locations; such as Emirates, Al Wasel, Ras Al Khor and Dubai-Al Ain Road.