Taiz: A motorbike racing track (Lastpage)

Although Taiz is not a big city in comparison to other Yemeni cities* it is the one of the most populated city in the country with a population of approximately three million. Famous for its narrow roads and lanes* the once a tranquil city of Taiz is now overrun by traffic and noise. On its busy roads* rise the hoots of car horns* the voices of vendors* and the din of motorcycles.All agree that motorcycles make the most noise* yet people increasingly prefer them to other means of public transport to reach their destinations in a short lapse of time* and the number of motorcycles in Taiz has dramatically risen in recent years ?much to the disgruntlement of other motorists* pedestrians and residents.?There are about 5*900 motorcycles officially registered in the Taiz Traffic Department* but over hundreds remain without registration or official plates*" said Qais Al-Eryani* General Officer of the Taiz Traffic Department. The Taiz Traffic Department is now campaigning to ensure motorcyclists respect the driving code for motorbikes stated in a Taiz local council resolution and published in the state-based Al-Jumhuriya Journal.Under the new resolution* no more motorbikes will be given a permit for official number plates or allowed to enter the city. Only registered motorcycles will be permitted to work from 7 am to 7 pm* and violators will be fined. These restrictions have been attributed to the rise in pollution* disturbance to residents* and traffic accidents since a large number of motorcycles were introduced into the city.Motorcyclists are unhappy with the resolution* which they think will prevent them from working: "We follow the rules* but the traffic department has tried to brand us as criminals* forgetting that we are breadwinners like them*" said Marwan Abdulhameed* a motorcyclist* "Many traffic officers take advantage of these instructions to mistreat us."Waleed Al-Hammadi* another motorcyclist who earns his living from giving rides on his motorcycle* said that a few trouble-makers give him and his colleagues a bad reputation: "Those who do not follow the rules are not breadwinners; they use their motorbikes to steal* flirt and harass." "I know that our work is noisy to most of people* but we must continue to feed our children"* said Hamud* father of four* who earns a living for his family by ferrying around passengers on his hired motorcycle everyday from dawn until sunset.But even those who use motorbikes as a means of transport resent the noise pollution. Marwan Al-Warafi* who lives in an apartment overlooking a busy street* says he cannot sleep at night because of the loud motorcycles. "Even my small boy cannot sleep in the daytime. As soon as he hears a motorbike* he wakes up wailing*" he said.Some believe that the amount of motorcycles is not the cause of traffic congestion. "There is no reason to stop them from working* but the traffic department should organize them better*" said Abdulhafeed Al-Amery* a Taiz resident.Others are in favor of banning motorcycles altogether* even if they use them as transport. "If such a law prevents traffic congestion* I will support it. I don't mind taking the bus instead"* said Omar Al-Qubati.Al-Eryani said that the Taiz Traffic Department does not have the right to prohibit motorcycles completely."Our duty consists in organizing roads and traffic. We do not have plans to prevent motorcyclists from working* but we pursue those who are breaking the rules"* he said* adding that they also pursue the motorcycles without registration in the traffic department because they are mostly smuggled into the country and without paid tariffs....

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