The continued violations of delivery bikes are an increasing danger

An opinion poll conducted by Emirates Today through its social media accounts revealed that more than 85% of vehicle drivers in Dubai confirm that delivery drivers are still not adhering to the decision to determine the route, despite the implementation of the decision to ban riding bicycles on highways, as of November 1, 2025, with the aim of raising the level of traffic discipline, enhancing road safety, and reducing disturbing accidents.

The results of the survey, in which 2,137 people participated and lasted for 24 hours under the title: “Have you noticed delivery bike drivers’ commitment to the decision to specify routes?”, showed that 85.9% of participants (about 1,835 people) said “no,” compared to 14.1% (about 302 people) who reported that they noticed some drivers’ commitment.

At the level of communication platforms, the “WhatsApp” poll recorded the largest percentage of participants, as 1,292 people participated, of whom 1,100 participants voted “no” at a rate of 85.1%, compared to 192 participants who said “yes” at a rate of 14.9%. In contrast, the “Instagram” poll witnessed the participation of 845 users, 87% (about 735 participants) of whom voted “no,” while he said 13% (about 110 participants) said they noticed some drivers’ commitment, which reflects consistency between the results of the two platforms regarding limited commitment to the decision.

The participants unanimously agreed that the continuation of this behavior threatens the safety of the drivers themselves and road users, stressing that delivery bike drivers are still driving in the left lane designated for overtaking, and that some of them are reckless on the highways, exposing themselves and others to danger, and creating unexpected surprises in the most sensitive lanes on the highways.

They stressed that the decision is an important step to enhance traffic safety, but strict implementation will be a decisive factor to ensure everyone’s commitment and change wrong behaviors, and that the continuation of some reckless behaviors requires more stringent measures and broad awareness directed to drivers in their different languages.

They called for tightening field supervision, raising the level of automated monitoring of violations, to ensure that bike drivers adhere to designated routes, launching awareness campaigns at the company level, and linking drivers’ commitment to safety systems to their professional files within delivery companies.

The decision to legalize the driving of delivery bicycles on the fast lanes in the streets of Dubai stipulated a ban on riding bicycles in the two fast lanes on the far left on roads that have five or more lanes, in addition to prohibiting the use of the left lane on roads consisting of three or four lanes, as they are the most dangerous and sensitive lanes for the movement of fast vehicles.

On the other hand, the decision allowed delivery bike drivers to ride normally on roads consisting of two or fewer lanes, given that they are less crowded and less exposed to the risks associated with high speeds.

According to the decision, violating drivers will be fined 500 dirhams for the first violation, 700 dirhams if the violation is repeated, and the permit will be suspended if the violation is repeated for the third time. In addition, delivery bike drivers who drive at a speed of more than 100 km/hour on streets with a speed limit of 100 km or more will be fined 200 dirhams for the first time, and 300. AED the second time, and 400 dirhams the third time.

In turn, the Sharjah Police General Command, in cooperation with the Roads and Transport Authority, allocated specific traffic lanes for motorcycles, including delivery bikes, heavy vehicles and buses, on the main and secondary roads and streets in the emirate. According to the decision, the lane on the far right was designated for heavy vehicles and buses on the roads, while motorcycles were allowed to use the third and fourth lanes from the right if the road was made up of four lanes. lanes, while on three-lane roads, they are allowed to drive in the middle or right lane, in accordance with approved traffic regulations, and in the event of two lanes, they are allowed to drive on the right side only, and fines are applied in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Traffic Law, as Article (8) stipulates the imposition of a fine of 1,500 dirhams and 12 traffic points in the event that a heavy vehicle does not adhere to the mandatory lane, while Article 70 stipulates the imposition of a fine of 500 dirhams in the event that drivers do not comply. Traffic signs and instructions.

Ahmed S. said that since the decision was implemented, he noticed that a number of delivery bikes continued to ride in the left lane on one of the vital roads, adding: “I was surprised more than once by a bike overtaking from the left at a low speed, and this constitutes a great danger, especially since this lane is designated for speeding vehicles,” pointing out that there are drivers who are still not complying.

Ibrahim Sh. reported that “there are independent drivers or drivers working for small delivery companies who still use the left lanes,” and said: “We need everyone to get used to the system, to protect lives and reduce accidents.”

Gamal Al-Sawy confirmed that there are bicycles that cause confusion in the movement of vehicles, explaining: “When a bicycle moves in the left lane suddenly, it causes confusion for drivers and may lead to accidents. We hope that awareness campaigns will multiply, because many drivers are not fully aware of the decision.”

For his part, Director of the National Institute for Traffic Safety, Alaeddin Sobhi Daoud, explained that some delivery bike drivers continue to use the fast left lanes, despite the implementation of the decision to ban bicycles in the far left lane, mainly due to poor qualifications and the lack of knowledge of traffic rules among a large number of drivers.

He said: “The decision is clear, and it has been implemented since the beginning of the month, but we are still monitoring some non-compliant behavior, whether through the field or reports from other drivers, and I personally witnessed a number of cases of driving on the far left, even though this lane is designated for fast vehicles only.”

He explained that the effective treatment of the problem is based on two basic pillars: proper qualification and training for drivers, giving them clear knowledge of road dangers and how to deal with them, and activating the law against violators, to deter dangerous behavior.

He pointed out that drivers’ commitment to designated routes is largely related to their level of awareness, saying: “Some drivers lack awareness of the dangers of highways or how to leave sufficient safety distances. In many cases, we see simple transgressions, but they may cause serious accidents.”

He stressed that traffic monitoring cameras play their role, but they are not enough alone, adding: “In order to reach 100% compliance, we need integration between automated monitoring and field patrols. It is not possible to place a camera or a policeman behind every driver, but behavior can be controlled through a combination of follow-up and rehabilitation.”

He pointed out that the wide diversity of drivers’ languages ​​represents an additional challenge, which requires launching targeted awareness campaigns in multiple languages, saying: “There are drivers who do not know the Arabic or English languages, and perhaps the details of the decision did not reach them correctly, so we need awareness content in their languages, explaining traffic rules, risks, and new regulations.”