It is now against the law for riders of e-scooters and e-bikes in the Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) community for the safety of those staying there. Dubai Community Management acknowledged that this decision was made to avoid unfortunate occurrences and provide a safer setting.
Battery-operated vehicles are being banned on the ground and plaza levels of The Walk. A notice in Arabic and English stating ‘No Riding of E-bikes & E-scooters, please refer to map’ accompanied by the crossed symbols for e-bikes and e-scooters has been placed.
“The popular and friendly JBR as a tourist attraction and multipurpose residential neighborhood has banned the use of e-scooters at the ground and plaza levels of The Walk. The decision seeks to protect human lives from the ravaging dangers of e-scooters; prevent horrific incidents around the area; and maintain the much-adored pedestrian-only experience throughout the neighborhood,” said the Dubai Community Management.
Walk without fear
The people in the community and individuals who would often visit the tourist-specific zone received the ban with positive acceptance.
Italian expat Simone Majocchi, who shared photos of the notices, told Khaleej Times: Well I live at one end of Dubai Marina thus I used to do the round of the Marina Walk and JBR walk. I am happy that Dubai Community Management has prohibited all those wheeled contraptions through the mall pavement that connects JBR 1 to Roxy Cinemas The Beach JBR.
“The area is full of new shops and restaurants that take a large section of the walkway, leaving just a couple of meters in some areas possible now I can get my peace of mind back while walking with this new ban (on e-scooters).
Calls for harder action
Previous accidents and several incidents in the past few weeks have led residents of Dubai to advocate for more stringent measures meted out to the e-scooter riders.
As Jordanian expat Mohammed Abunael explained before, he too watched people riding e-scooters without protective gear, and with negligent reckless behaviors. He said: “To me, it is a living nightmare because I constantly find myself concerned about an e-scooter rider bumping into me…their riding behavior is rather erratic…There are some truly reckless riders out there.”
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) prohibited their use on the Metro as of March this year. In a previous statement sent to Khaleej Times, RTA said: has banned the take on of e-scooters and micro-mobility devices that are battery operated on the Dubai metro and the Dubai tram on account of fire risks. ” It is in force indefinitely and upon, for instance, a reconsideration of safety measures.”
The vehicles that are authorized are scooters that are non-electrical and foldable bicycles that are without batteries and they are transported inside the train of Dubai Metro and Dubai Tram.
Robot to detect violations
Earlier this year in March, the RTA together with Dubai Police tried a new AI robot that will be used to identify violations that bike and electric scooters make along the Jumeirah 3 beach.
These include not wearing of helmets, improper parking of scooters, several users on one scooter, and riding the scooters in pavements only meant for pedestrians among others which the robot was able to detect. There are no reports of any fines being issued to law-breaking riders but the violations attract fines that range from Dh10 to Dh300.
Should electric scooters have license plates?
According to the road safety experts they have recommended having a number plate or some identification number with the e-scooter. Presently, e-scooters do not have to be licensed, yet all the riders must acquire a permit from the RTA.
‘The rationale for registering e-scooters is to remind people that they are not toys, but actual legal vehicles in the flow of traffic; thus, aiming for proper and safe behavior,’ said Thomas Edelmann, the founder, and managing director of Road Safety UAE.
So far, there is no updated report on the general number of e-scooters in Dubai. Nevertheless, according to the figures provided by the RTA in November of the previous year, the authority has granted over 63,500 e-scooter licenses because it became mandatory this April.
Just those 16 years and above can ride e-scooters; permits are approved after completing training and understanding courses available on the RTA website. However, individuals with valid driving licenses are not required to take these courses, and those 15 and below can only use manual scooters and bicycles.
