Dubai's RTA issues new range of road fines

New road traffic fines ranging from Dh200 to Dh10,000 have been introduced by the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai. The new regulations aim to prevent unlicensed businesses and taxis from operating illegally and transporting people and goods around the emirate. Fines range from Dh200 for parking or transiting a vehicle in an unauthorised location to Dh10,000 for transporting lorries, tankers or heavy vehicles without a permit. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of Dubai Executive Council, issued the Executive Council resolution 47, which also involves the regulation of buses, lorries and recreational vehicles, motorbikes and bicycles in Dubai. The RTA licensing agency has been tasked with issuing permits and handling violations and complaints. The new rules urge that all “entities undertaking road transportation and vehicle rental activity must comply with the provisions of the new resolution within one year of its date of issuance”. Commercial businesses that operate in such activities are required to have an office and adequate parking space. RTA’s licensing agency will evaluate and approve applications, determine the number of vehicles operated by each company, monitor adherence to permit terms and conditions and establish and manage a database of entities, their activities and vehicles. Other violations include using vehicles for undeclared purposes, managing a fleet of vehicles without a permit, failure to install the GPS adopted by the Security Industry Regulatory Agency, failure to conform to the activity defined in the permit and failure to test or renew the testing of vehicles. Government bodies are exempt from the new laws. To obtain a permit, the applicant must submit a renewal request within 30 days of the permit’s expiry. The resolution will come into force 60 days after it is published in the official Gazette.