Old vehicles face ban from UAE roads

ROAD BAN: Vehicles older than 20 years will no longer be allowed on the UAE's roads from January, the Interior Ministry has said. (Getty Images)

Vehicles older than 20 years will be banned from the UAE’s roads from January, the Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday.

A senior official at the ministry said licences for light vehicles manufactured before 1988 would not be renewed after January, while the import of cars manufactured five years earlier would be banned, UAE daily Khaleej Times reported on Monday.

Colonel Ghaith Al Zaabi, director general of the Federal Traffic and Patrol Department, said the decision was aimed at regulating licensing of light and heavy vehicles with the objective of reducing traffic, and to protect the environment from the emissions.

Licences of cars manufactured 15 years ago would also not be renewed from January 2010, he added.

The decision also bans transfer of licence of vehicles aged more than 10 years.

However, vintage and classic cars have been exempted from the new rules, if they fulfil technical requirements, he said.

According to Ministry of Interior's statistics, the UAE has 1.8 million vehicles of different makes and manufacturing years. Import of used light vehicles would be allowed if it is not more than five years old or not more than seven years old for heavy vehicles.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Old Vehicles fadce ban
Posted by Wilhelm Niederhauser, Sharjah, UAE on Tuesday 17 June 2008 at 11:58 UAE time


The key to reducing emissions from vehicles is not in banning older vehicles. I would suggest, to make catalytic converters compulsory for all newly imported vehicles. They reduce the harmful emissions by around 80%. In Europe and USA catalytic converters are mandatory since more than 10 years.

Old cars banned
Posted by George, Dubai, UAE on Tuesday 17 June 2008 at 09:54 UAE time


Vintage and classic will be allowed?

How is it going to be decided what is vintage and classic? A 1965 VW is as classis as a Rolls, but somehow I fail to see that it will be considered so, as there is no bling factor.

It is very simple ... old or new, the car has to pass brakes, lights, and emmisions test. As simple as that. Proper maintenance will ensure that it is so, 5, 10, 20 or 40 years down the line. But that would be too much work to check, would it not?

What is the extent
Posted by sunnydays, Dubai, UAE on Tuesday 17 June 2008 at 08:52 UAE time

What can be the extent to which Dubai wants to show the world that it is posh and metropolitan? Old Cars will soon disappear. Will they even throw the old people out and have a specific 'International' dress code to be able to walk around the streets? Will they have a dress code to enter the malls, the jumeirah side? Should I stop eating Chapathi's and roti's and move onto Pasta and the more 'Cool' stuff like Sushi and Pasta coz the government will soon not allow chapathi and roti eaters into Dubai?

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