Beirut's municipal council voted unanimously to ban motorcycles from the capital's streets for causing noise pollution, irresponsible driving habits and drive-by purse
snatchings. 'The public is out of patience with motorcycles,' wrote wrote Badih Chayban in the Beiruit Daily Star.
Due to lack of law enforcement personnel however the ban has yet to been
implemented. Many citizens have filed complaints about what they described as the 'irresponsible and reckless' driving of bikers, and blamed them for causing accidents and endangering other
drivers.
In an interview with The Daily Star, Marianne Azzi said she crashed her car because a biker did not respect a red light, surprised her and made a quick turn that caused her to lose
control of her car and crash into the window of a gallery. She added that following the incident, she started noticing that most bikers did not respect red lights, 'even if there is an ISF officer
standing at the spot.'
The police source said that this was true, adding that Internal Security Force (ISF) personnel were also complaining about the driving of bikers and their flaunting of
road rules.
The source said that weak enforcement of the ban and other traffic violations was due to the low number of ISF personnel on the roads, arguing that if the policeman leaves his
spot to arrest or follow a biker, it would cause a significant traffic jam of even greater disturbance to the public.
Major complaints have also involved an increased rate of purse-snatchings by
bikers, and according to police reports these crimes are a daily affair in Beirut.
