Haya-Scooter

The ‘theoretical test’. Cancelled!
Restrictions on owning more than one scooter: Cancelled!
Restriction on selling scooters that are of last year’s model: Cancelled!

WOW. The government is making a full U-turn on its regulations that were killing (or have already killed) the scooter industry. Al-Ghad has the story [arabic link].

What can I say? It seem the investors (and, it can be read between the lines, some ‘potential’ investors) in the beleaguered scooter industry have finally gotten through to the government.

Despite these regulations and despite Jordanian’s society’s typical suspicion of everything new (and anything that promotes a more dynamic youth culture!) I saw a slight increase in scooter on the streets of Amman lately.

The revised regulations are a step in the right direction. Jordan cannot to keep pretending to be some ‘special case’. Scooters have proven successful both advanced and developing nations. Let’s just accept that. And let’s hope scooters contribute to easing up the traffic and, with absence of proper public transportation, make mobility a bit more democratic.


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15 responses to “Scooter Watch: Government makes a U-Turn, eases up ownership and license requirements!”

  1. Ahmad Al-Sholi Avatar
    Ahmad Al-Sholi

    This is great news.
    Hope that good thinking leaks else where :)

  2. Sid Vicious Avatar
    Sid Vicious

    Let’s just hope they haven’t already killed the industry. I don’t even understand why all these laws were introduced in the first place. Restrictions on owning more than one scooter, are you kidding me? Who’s business is that?

    Nonetheless, I don’t think scooters are a real answer to our problems. We NEED a proper public transportation system in Amman. Not only to minimize traffic problems, but as citizens we require an efficient, safe and reliable mean of everyday trasportation that is also cheap and accessible. Heard a rumor the other day that a French company is gonna do exactly that, I sure hope so. They should copy London’s.

  3. Sid Vicious Avatar
    Sid Vicious

    PS: No “Leopard” posts Humeid? hmm, I was under the impression you were an Apple Evangelist :)

  4. Firas Avatar
    Firas

    Winter is upon us. So it’s still early to tell.

    Anyways, some people are really reckless,and this is why they were too strict. Seeing two people sitting on a scooter is not fun. I once saw a guy with his 2 yrs old boy sitting infront of him, and his 5-7yrs daughter behind him (and yes, no safety gears!) I’m for strict laws. Scooters,motor cycles are more fatal than a car. But laws such as mentioned are not smart or effective.

  5. Basem, another non-sheikh insight Avatar
    Basem, another non-sheikh insight

    “Scooter & motor cycles are more fatal than a car”

    Firas, the statement you made is subjective and barely reflect a “perception” of danger rather than a validated fact. I would say an aircraft accident is inevitably FATAL while statistically we all know that commercial air travel is safer than road travel.

    I must admit however, motorcycles are dangerous yet scooters aren’t, especially the ones the government are specifically allowing; albeit automatic transmission 150cc scooters can barely accelerate and only wishfully can cross the 90~95Km/h mark.

    It only takes a responsible scooterist who’s alert of his/her surrounding and don’t surrender to the temptation of fantastic maneuverability and small size of his/her scooter between the sea of bumper-to-bumper car lanes… you either act as a legit vehicle on the road or like a pedestrian in the middle lane who can’t command respect.

  6. Hani Obaid Avatar
    Hani Obaid

    Basem, that’s not a good enough justification for the CC limit. Amman is full of hills, and some of them are difficult enough for a powerful car to climb let alone a crappy engined scooter.

  7. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    Let’s encourage Jordanians to learn to drive four-wheeled vehicles safely and properly before we think about the two-wheeled kind.

  8. zander cage Avatar
    zander cage

    let me ask those;

    Is the problem was traffic? Pullution? Safety? Lack of reliable tranportation?
    Reckless drivers?

    or all of those?

    Think about it;

    Can a million of bus and cars will reduce traffic?

    Can you make an alternative that everybody can afford?
    Can you do that as soon as posssible? then when?

    For my experience, America, UK, entire European countries, and asian countries are using scooter since then. But no big deal as you guys dealing with.
    This is only what I’ve notice,

    MIND is like a parachute,
    It will only work when it’s OPEN.

  9. Sid Vicious Avatar
    Sid Vicious

    zander cage, are you a translation program ?

  10. zander cage Avatar
    zander cage

    /:) Sid Vicious, What language are u using?

    Why commute? Ride scoot!

  11. Jim Avatar
    Jim

    Sad News with scooters… I went to the licensing department in Marka today to get a scooter license following the “NEW REGULATIONS” that have been published in the government offical website http://www.pm.gov.jo pretaining to scooter licensing, and was “SHOCKED” that the head of the licensing office in Marka said to me:”Yes there are NEW SCOOTER LICENSING REGULATIONS”, However we will not apply them I was like wow howcome, he said that he has not been given the go ahead by the Police department to start enacting the new Law … even though it has been published for 20 days now… I am realy shocked at this… a law or new regulations come out and Still the Police are not applying them!!

  12. alec Avatar
    alec

    Scooters are a great way to get about a city. As for the risks involved in two wheeled travel, that is a decision for the rider, not someone who doesn’t want to do it in the first place. If they dont want to indulge cool convience they dont have to.

    Rider training before issuing a licence slows initial take up, but the riders benefit enormously and the industry does medium and long term, as happy safe scooterists encourage more to take it up.

    Scooters use less fuel and cause less damage to roads and infrastructure than cars, they dont congest roads and they are easy to park. In Europe, Japan and Australia they also have a great sub culture of music and fashion, where would ‘The Who’ be without a modded Lambretta.

    I am interested in talking to some Amman scooterists about scootering in Amman if they are up for it.

    http://www.peterstevens.com.au/Bikes/SCO0406p058-64-r1bev.pdf

  13. Eriq Avatar
    Eriq

    I want these scooters really bsdly so i dont have to walk anymore or use my bike ( i just want something that looks like a car but if i ride this on the sidewalk i hope no police give me a ticket and say i have to ride in the streets ) i dont have aldrivers licence ( im only 12 years old )

  14. alexx Avatar
    alexx

    What kind of scooter is that lady riding???

  15. zahid Avatar
    zahid

    it is excilient scootor. I am very happy to see it