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With the traffic fines that are being written up at a rapid pace, Dubai's financial problems will clear up real soon. It seems that if you live in Downtown Dubai and are tucked away in bed at 3 AM, you can get a ticket in Al Barsha (for improper parking - over the white line, too far from the barrier, etc). These tickets are being given without any proof to warrant the fine, and you have no excuses....you have to pay!!! Check out who is being targeted!!!

I'm off to check if I have any unfounded fines on my car!!

This is a letter published in 7 Days:

From 7 Days:

It looks like we will all just have to get used to these unfair fines as they now seem to be part of our daily routine.

Everyone knows someone who has been unjustly fined for offences which they know they did not commit.

When a colleague put his case to a Senior Police Officer he was told that as part of the campaign to improve standards the individual policemen now have to fill a daily quota sheet for traffic offences.

The easy way to fill the quota is to target the expat who has no recourse in law.

If you do some simple arithmetic you will quickly see that the system is basically a way of collecting a stealth tax. If 5,000 policemen issue ten tickets per day with each ticket at dhs200 then in one month the collection is dhs300 million or nearly $82m.

Add in the revenue from the fixed and mobile cameras and... the revenue quickly becomes over $100 million per month. Maybe the police Officer was just joking or maybe not?

MATT
Dubai

I was told once that the police get a "commission" on each ticket written.

The police have certainly been busy writting fines. I've been stung also and would not have a clue what I did wrong. There is no use appealing because it is the police officers word against yours.
I am all for a crackdown on seatbelts, lane discipline, mobile phoines etc. The only problem I have, is that the fine does not reflect exactly what the driver did wrong. They should pull the cars over and issue the fine so that at least the person knows what they have done wrong and will know not to do it again.
If they are not going to do this, then they should at least write a bit more about what the driver did wrong and the car model and colour to reduce the risk of making a typo on the rego number.

But wouldn't it be nice if you were at least in the vehicle when given the fine - no seatbelt, speeding, on the phone?? It appears that alot of people weren't even present!!! or were out of the country, or were at home asleep or weren't where the fine claims they were. Alot of bogus fines are being written. As you said, an appeal is useless, even if you have proof.

I'd like to think that these are typo mistakes which are easy enough to do with a car flying past at 100kph.
But the sceptics will probably say that the cop was sitting in his office making up rego numbers to put on fines.

I would like to think that I'm going to win the lottery when I go back to NY for the summer. How likely is that (winning the lottery that is!!)??

It's not always about speeding. It's also about parking - over the white line, too far from the barrier. They are coming up with all kinds of crazy reasons.

Good point BB. A form of hidden taxation.

Innovative NOT! Setting targets for cops is a performance measure used in many countries. And it kinda sucks cos it gives em cops incentive to fine. Surely there must be another measure to test police efficiency. Unless they've calculated that for every 100 cars maybe 5 will be wrongly parked???

(apologies Rob, forgot to add the not bit)

Horrible innovation though. Soon they get handy in efficiency and then you have the puppets dancing. Then they get commission incentives for cases that offer more returns. Like unmarried couples living together.

Whats the fine for such violation?

Several years ago I had parked my car, got the meter ticket and when walking away saw a policeman, then went back to the car to make sure the ticket was visable. When I came out I had a ticket. When I showed it to my husband to translate it was for double parking!!!! That's when I found out that they get commissions for tickets that they issue. Ambitious ones make serious money!!!

Another reason to buy a gun. Justice needs to be served, one way or the other. And y'all knows what happens when the SHTF. A People's Revolution!

RobbyG wrote:Another reason to buy a gun. Justice needs to be served, one way or the other. And you all knows what happens when the SHTF. A People's Revolution!

Rob, have you been hitting the plant again or just having a conversation with yourself??

LoL, just stirring the 'pot'.

RobbyG wrote:Another reason to buy a gun. Justice needs to be served, one way or the other. And y'all knows what happens when the SHTF. A People's Revolution!

You mean whats happening in Greece at the moment?
We're not quite at that point yet.

Yep, serious shit happening there. Following closely, from a distance

Mind you ..........

Someone here has been a naughty boy speeding on the Soufah Road - tut tut

arniegang wrote:Mind you ..........

Someone here has been a naughty boy speeding on the Soufah Road - tut tut

Someone here lent his car to his business partner as theirs was in the workshop...who subsequently forgot about the camera on Sufouh Road before the Madinat!

Here is a true life case guy who received 2 tickets on his car: 1 for not stopping at a junction and the other for not indicating before changing lanes. Both on the same day in Jumeirah 1. Both on the same day his car was actually in Liberty motors with the engine and gearbox in little pieces on the floor!

He took the workshop schedule, a timed and dated photograph taken by the mechanic as they were sending the images to GM for a warranty claim on a faulty torque converter and a stamped and signed statement from he general manager of the workshop to prove the car was with them for the entire week, to the police traffic department to show that it was physically impossible for him to have committed the offences claimed. Their response: "This is not proof! You must pay!"

His only recourse is to Dubai Court. Approximate cost of bringing the complaint: 10,000Dhs.

Cost of he fine: 600Dhs.

Er...what do you think he should do?



Knight

Just taxes, would be more honest if they just called it a "tax on cars". At least it will be fairer then

OK and now a priceless true story...I know, because this is what happened to me today!

I am heading for DIP and the Green Community and traveling down the Al Khail Road. The junction at the end where it meets the Emirates Road is still under construction and is going to be a roundabout. All the road signs are temporary yellow and black ones.

I know that when I get to the end of the road I must turn right, so therefore I get into the right hand lane of 3 clear ones. The 4th lane on the right is filled with trucks and is solid all the way back almost to Barsha. When I approach the new junction all the signs straight ahead direct you to Sharjah and Dubai Airport. I want to turn right but there is only a single lane slip road and lots of trucks. The sign is actually situated at the junction so, realising about 50 metres out I need to turn, I duly indicate, move into the slip road and make the right turn in the queue of trucks.

As I am turning the corner, I notice there is a police car sitting at the junction and he is taking my registration number! In fact he is taking the number everyone who is carrying out the simple task of turning right. A taxi driver has even pulled over onto the sand as is arguing with his companion. I could not stop so carried on to my meeting with steam coming out of my ears!

Having finished the meeting I immediately drove to Barsha Traffic Police Department as I knew the patrol would still be on the road and not had time to file his long list of despicable collars for the day and demanded to see a senior officer. It did not take long for me to be ushered into the presence of a very pleasant captain where I could explain my anger at being booked for no reason and, after many diagrams and drawings and lots of typing on his computer and making calls to find out which patrol was on duty in the area, I was duly escorted to the head of Patrols Department. Explaining the situation once again (with further diagrams) and much checking of my vehicle records to see if I owed thousands in fines, and me clearly laying out the implications of over zealous policing, it was eventually decided that I would be called when he had completed his investigation.

The call came this afternoon and I was apologised to and told that I would not be fined although technically I should have been in the truck lane all the way from Barsha doing 20 kms per hour and not turning into the lane so close to the junction. I said that, had there been a sign positioned sooner on the road, I might have done, but I wanted to go to Jebel Ali, not Sharjah.

Irony: My business partner passed the same junction 10 minutes earlier and made the same maneuver. He got a ticket!

It just goes to prove that if you complain first, you win!



Knight

lol, don't smile to fast just yet. That pOlice officer might find his commission cut, so if he sues you afterwards, its you against the machine.

Court case, 10k Dirhams. Good luck

RobbyG wrote:lol, don't smile to fast just yet. That pOlice officer might find his commission cut, so if he sues you afterwards, its you against the machine.

Court case, 10k Dirhams. Good luck

Bring it on!

I have a 'Get out of Jail Free' card from my Monopoly game!



Knight

Should have been on your "bike" then they would have just pointed giggled and taken pity on ya.

Dubai Knight wrote:

RobbyG wrote:lol, don't smile to fast just yet. That pOlice officer might find his commission cut, so if he sues you afterwards, its you against the machine.

Court case, 10k Dirhams. Good luck

Bring it on!

I have a 'Get out of Jail Free' card from my Monopoly game!



Knight

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nooooooooooooooooooo you haven't