Parliament backs proposal to bar delivery motorbikes from main roads

TDT | Manama

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Parliament voted yesterday to refer a proposal to the government for review that would ban delivery motorbikes from Bahrain’s main roads, backing the measure even after a committee advised against it.

The proposal was submitted by MPs Bader Al Tameemi, Abdulwahid Qarata, Ali Al Doseri, Hamad Al Doy and Abdulla Al Rumaihi.

It calls on the government to stop delivery riders using main routes and to curb traffic breaches linked to the sector.

Evidence

During the sitting, Al Tameemi pointed to impound figures as evidence of the scale of the issue.

“If we speak according to official statistics, more than 1,000 delivery motorbikes were impounded over four years, an average of 250 a year, which means there is a real problem on main roads and secondary roads,” he said.

He also cited a recent example from Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway while travelling from Riffa towards Manama.

“This road has five lanes and a delivery rider was in the far-left lane where the lane speed is 120 kilometres an hour, which poses a real danger,” he said.

Rejection

The Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee had recommended rejecting the proposal, arguing that many areas cannot be reached without using main roads.

It said diverting delivery bikes would push pressure onto internal and secondary roads, adding to congestion, and could lead riders and companies to switch to cars for deliveries, increasing vehicle numbers.

MP Mohammed Al Olaiwi said he shared concerns about delivery bikes but questioned the practicality of a ban on main routes.

“The proposal is very important, but preventing delivery riders from main roads is unrealistic because they will move to internal roads,” he said.

Penalties

The lawmaker called instead for tougher penalties and a licensing system that limits the number of riders per company.

The Ministry of Interior, through the General Directorate of Traffic, set out similar reservations in its comments on the proposal.

It said Bahrain’s road network is built as an interconnected system linking main and secondary roads, junctions and different areas, and argued that a ban would be difficult to apply and would not improve traffic flow.

The directorate said it was already carrying out intensified enforcement against delivery riders who breach the Traffic Law, including impounding motorbikes. It reported that 1,005 delivery motorbikes were impounded from 2022 through February 2025.

It also said it was close to finishing a project to supply 500 smart cameras to record traffic offences and track unsafe driving behaviour, with the aim of strengthening monitoring and improving road safety.

Measures

The committee’s rapporteur, MP Dr Maryam Al Dhaen, said the committee remained against the proposal and urged a focus on other measures.

“The solution to the delivery bike problem is to find alternative solutions such as using cars more, or drones,” she said.

She also raised a health concern tied to delivery times, warning: “If cooked food is delayed for more than 50 minutes to an hour in delivery, it may spoil, and if that process is delayed it can turn into toxic substances, including salmonella, which can cause food poisoning.”

MP Abdulla Al Rumaihi supported the proposal during the sitting, telling MPs his car had been involved in a serious crash linked to a delivery motorbike.