Banning motorcycles in Lebanon

I just came across a news that made it for me! Our minister of interior affairs Ziad Baroud issued a statement banning motorcycles between 6:00PM and 5:00AM as of October 15th 2009. In addition to making it clear that motorcyclists gatherings are forbidden.

Lebanese motorcyclist

بارود يصدر قرارا بضبط سير الدراجات النارية ابتداء من 15 الجاري
أصدر وزير الداخلية زياد بارود قرارا ً بضبط سير الدراجات النارية في الأراضي اللبنانية المختلفة اعتباراً من تاريخ 15/10/2009، وطلب الى المديرية العامة لقوى الأمن الداخلي التشدّد في تطبيق القرار.

وسمح القرار بسير الدراجات النارية المسجلة أصولاً لدى هيئة إدارة السير والآليات والمركبات والمستوفية لجميع الشروط القانونية، اعتباراً من الساعة الخامسة صباحاً وحتى الساعة الثامنة عشرة، ويمنع سير جميع الدراجات بين الساعة 18.00 والساعة الخامسة من صباح اليوم التالي.

By the way, every time I see a motorcyclist performing stunts on the highway, I get the urge to hit him and watch him rolling on the asphalt! Yes that’s how much I hate you Lebanese motorbike owners!

Photo via flickr

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17 Responses to Banning motorcycles in Lebanon

  1. Tarek October 10, 2009 at 12:57 am #

    i just pray that gravity betrays them and they flip or something… Works sometimes…

  2. Liliane October 10, 2009 at 7:03 am #

    shou ra7 ysir bil delivery after 6? lah lah lah lol
    am so glad this happened to be honest! man Ziad Baroud rock 😀

  3. Bilal October 10, 2009 at 10:17 am #

    YES, YES, and YES to banning motorcycles (and to hitting them as well)!

  4. mas October 10, 2009 at 11:13 am #

    This is one of the stupidest policies I’ve ever heard of. If some motorcyclists are posing a threat, you don’t deal with them with a night-time ban. This is like telling them “Hey, you guys can do whatever mischief you want, just don’t do it after 6!” How about implementing the laws that are already in place, like forcing motorcyclists to wear helmets, and handing out tickets to motorcyclists that break transportation laws. Don’t tell me they don’t have the means, the ISF were able to enforce all transportation laws properly for a few weeks but then got lazy and forgot about the whole thing.

    How about setting up public awareness campaigns, telling motorcyclists to respect the laws, and car drivers to respect motorcyclists. What happens to people who don’t have other means of transportation, and whose working hours go beyond 6PM? Public transportation is a joke, so should they get a car? Good way to increase traffic AND pollution!

    And if this is in response to the incidents in Ain-el-Remmaineh, you think that somebody whose not afraid of the consequences of stabbing a person to death is gonna be dissuaded from riding his mobilette by a farrouj-stuffed darakeh who’s already too busy judging the looks of the women walking down the street?

  5. lukewarm October 12, 2009 at 12:53 pm #

    I have to agree with mas. It’s a misguided procedure that will be counter-productive and will have unforeseen economic consequences. In some countries mobilettes are encouraged as a cheap effective form of transportation for which you can get a license when you’re 16 (14 in Italy).
    Also I think this policy shows a clear bias to people who drive cars. How are people supposed to get around after 6? I could go on about class interests and such but I won’t.

  6. mir October 12, 2009 at 3:31 pm #

    no more food delivery at night ? no more arguileh delivery ? (joking on the last one )

    some bikers are eudacted…others are not

    if you own a harley, u can’t go ride it in a classy way at night bl downtown ?

    I am more with the idea of enforcing laws and arresting the idiots who don’t respect the driving rules on motorcycle and cars as well 😛

  7. Rami October 12, 2009 at 5:22 pm #

    @lukewarm & @mas
    I got what you guys mean, but we (at least in Beirut) are fed up with the motorbikes that turn any little drive we have to do into a living hell! With no exception, the delivery boys cause as much headache as any other motorbike driver!
    IMHO, such people will never learn to abide by the laws, don’t kid me and say that those I see driving their motorbikes on ONE wheel are going to wear helmets and drive safely! haydol 3alam nawar, they don’t deserve allowing them to even walk on the sidewalk!

    I am not only for banning motorbikes after 6, I’m also for executing their owners!

    Oh and by the way, I never had a car during my university days! I used to take Taxis and buses to reach any destination, and those “nawar” are not better than me, let them earn a degree and work hard to get a car. I prefer getting polluted and die early at 35 instead of watching a “nawreh” on one wheel!

  8. mas October 12, 2009 at 7:53 pm #

    @Rami
    I agree with you on the problem, but not on the means.. although mass executions does sound like fun, when your bored, on the weekend.. 🙂

  9. Farah October 13, 2009 at 9:42 am #

    Rami i wish they ban them at all, or someday i will kill one of them !!! it became very frustrating to drive especially when they come in the wrong way and i get frustrated that they can’t pass between the cars, or when they got stuck in the traffic, it is like rules are made for motorcycles also, why they should get to their job first by scratching our cars when trying to pass between the cars.
    What makes angrier is that when a police officer see a motorcycle get pass a red light and force the cars on the green light to stop suddenly and create traffic jam. i wish ziad baroud will ban using motorcycles or at least force expesive tickets so they can drive in the right way or get the hell out of my face

  10. mir October 13, 2009 at 5:08 pm #

    lol farah !
    well banning them after 6 turned out to be for security reasons i guess and it won’t improve the part you are suffering from

    and what should be done is enforce the laws ( no 3aks seir, no passing of lights, no changing lanes and of course no aerobics … )
    and good use of motorcycle could be a cheap way for transportation looked on as a solution for transportation in our heavy busy city streets

  11. Serpico October 14, 2009 at 5:40 am #

    The dude in the pic is quite good! 😛

  12. habib October 15, 2009 at 7:41 am #

    What’s interesting is that Baroud is the latest in a long line of interior ministers and politicians to ban motorbikes, not just in Lebanon but in other Arab countries as well. I wonder what the essence of this is and if there is any research on correlations between violence and mobilette usage.

    I do agree though that they are annoying–but sometimes entertaining also!

  13. Motorcycle October 25, 2009 at 11:26 am #

    1st I think that everybody who hates motorcyles have never ridden one and honsetly dont know how to drive. 300$ for a driving licence delivered right to your house…yeah I can see you guys are Schumachers in the making.
    I’m not saying that there arent stupid motorcyclists out there, I’m just saying there are more car accidents and deaths related to car accident than to motorcycles, so… safety-wise….work on the pay-on-reciept car licenses for one.

    Baroud didnt do a good job in my opinion. He should have enforced wearing helmets and licensing but other than that the ban is just pointless.It’s not fair to say the least. I can afford to get a car, but in Beirut it’s just not practical especially when ur on a time limit. Plus evven if u get there wherever u wanna go in like 10 minutes if ur lucky, u need 15 minutes to find a place to park.
    I agree, kids shouldn’t be allowed on motorcycles, and I mean teens in particular. At that age they think they’re invincible and nothing bad will happen.

    In conclusion, you cant punish all legal motorcyclists for the mistake of one idiot. It doesnt make any sense; i dont think lazy ISF officers at checkpoints will stop murderers from commiting murder. They should be everywhere on the streets. That’s how you you secure the streets. Don’t punish motorcyclists for the incompetence of the ISF.

  14. Raed fzr600 February 13, 2010 at 12:36 am #

    anou 3ala 2alela nazlo shway men sa3er dftar swa2et moto wo kamen men sa3er tesgella 7ata te2dar 3ala kil temshi 2anoni be hal balad…

  15. Raghad March 8, 2010 at 3:58 pm #

    تعرضت يوم الجمعة في الخامس من شهر آذار في الساعة السابعة وخمسين دقيقة تقريبا لسرقة حقيبة يدي وأنا في سيارتي أمام محل باتا في منطقة سبينس والسارق كان على موتورسيكل فري واي أبيض هو ومساعد له، مساعده بقي على الموتورسيكل والسارق خبط زجاج نافذة السيارة وانتبه إلى أن الباب مفتوح ففتحه وسرق الحقيبة، قاومته بعنف وكانت النتيجة أن انقطعت يد الحقيبة وبقيت معي أما الحقيبة فأخذها وركب وراء مساعده وذهبا مع الريح
    خسارتي كبيرة خسرت أوراقي كلها وخسرت كل ما معي من مال وخسرت أشياء أخرى منها ما يحمل قيمة مادية ومنها ما يحمل قيمة معنوية، وبما أنني لست لبنانية خسرت بطاقةإقامتي ايضا
    لم يساعدني أحد في الشارع مع أنني طلبت المساعدة وصحت واستنجدت الجميع وقف يتفرج
    ابلغت الشرطة وذهبت إلى المخفر الذي رفض أخذ إفادتي قبل أن أحضر له هويتي
    أنا مضطرة إلى السفر وطبعا لن اسافر لأن الأمن العام لديه إجراءات متعددة قبل أن يعترف بأن إقامتي سرقت مني
    وأول هذه الإجراءات نشر إعلان بالجرائد على مدى ثلاثة أيام ثم الانتظار لأسبوع قبل العودة إلى تقديم طلب جديد
    ماذا لو كان لدي مريض على فراش الموت وأنا مضطرة إلى السفر إليه حالا
    ماذا لو وجدت عملا في الخارج وكان علي الالتحاق به فورا وإلا ضاعت الفرصة
    ماذا لو كنت في حالة مرضية خطرة وأحتاج إلى السفر للعلاج، هل ابقى وأموت
    السارق حر، يستمتع بما سرقه مني وربما هو الآن يسرق أناسا آخرين غيري أما أنا فلم أنم منذ ليلة الجمعة ومن صباح اليوم وأنا أدور على المديريات لأعرف ماذا علي أن افعل ولا أحد يساعد ولا أحد يتعاطف كأنني أنا المجرمة وأنا السارقة وأنا التي عليها أن تدفع ثمن فعلة ارتكبها شخص عديم الأخلاق
    أشعر كأنني اغتصبت
    اغتصاب الإنسانية لا يختلف في شيء عن اغتصاب الجسد
    أشعر أن وجودي الإنساني أهين
    فعن اي قانون تتحدثون؟
    نحن الآن في 2010
    فهل يسري هذا القانون على 2009 فقط
    هل هناك من يعيد لي كرامتي
    من يعيد لي إنسانيتي

  16. pilot April 1, 2010 at 2:59 pm #

    I think the law banning after 6pm is a sick racist unfair law! ban all legal motorcyclist for the few idiots and criminal out there? why don t they ban all cars after 6pm so that they control accidents? daah?

    I heard of a procedure that allows you to get a permit to dricve past 6pm? via liban post, DO YOU HAVE TO BE A DELIVERY BOY or any regular legal biker can get it? thanx for any reply, i own a 15 000 usd motorcycle, all legal papers, and would like to drive it for leasure from time to time, i paid all gvmnt fees for that. thax guys.

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