Battered old bangers might be banished from Bahrain’s roads under a controversial parliamentary proposal.
The move to remove vehicles that are more than 20 years old is being spearheaded by Parliament’s services committee chairman Ahmed Al Ansari.
The aim is to crack down on dodgy motoring deals, unsightly and potentially-dangerous vehicles on the roads as well as a bid to reduce air pollution and encourage people to buy greener replacements.
“There are new high-tech vehicles available at reasonable prices from China or Taiwan, besides several other countries, that are often the same price as an older car,” said Mr Al Ansari, who is also Al Asala (Salfi) bloc president.
“Like most things, cars or motorcycles have a limited lifespan. A ban on vehicles 20 years old or more is reasonable as these vehicles are well past their prime.
“Some are just welded together and should have been scrapped years ago. They’re dangerous, ugly, rusty and polluting and it’s about time we encouraged more energy-saving vehicles on to our roads.”
An amended version of the proposal, originally referred to Parliament’s foreign affairs, defence and national security committee for review, considers classic cars as an exception.
It suggests that the Interior Ministry introduce new colour number plates for automobile treasures and although disallowing them for regular use, they could still be driven for roadshows and parades, or given special authorisation.
Mr Al Ansari admitted that when he presented the original proposal on social media, there was a heated backlash from classic cars owners.
“Classic cars are like antiques and there was no intention in my proposal to ban them, so I needed to make things clearer,” said the former municipal council chairman.
“Again, a technical specification on what could be considered as ‘classic’ would depend on the Interior Ministry following approval of my proposal.”
Mr Al Ansari said the number of bangers breaking down on the highways was embarrassing and troublesome. “Old vehicles tend to break down more often and for every car that pulls to a stop you can guarantee at least a 20-minute delay with huge traffic congestion caused,” he said.
Other critics complain that the proposal would hit the poor who can only afford to buy second-hand vehicles.
Parliament public utilities and environment affairs committee chairman Mohammed Buhamood, also a former municipal council chairman, said the proposal’s intention was good but it would be difficult to implement.
“There are poor Bahrainis and labourers who can’t afford paying even BD100 more to replace the junk they’re currently driving!
“At the moment, only vehicles that pass vehicle inspections at the Interior Ministry or authorised places are allowed on the road, so banning old vehicles is wrong, as there are vehicles that are older than 20 years that move better than the new ones, in my opinion.”
Bahrain Bloc president MP Ahmed Al Salloom agreed.
“People need to move around for work because they don’t get company transportation. They have to buy private cheap cars because they can’t afford something better from a dealership,” he said. “The idea could cause more harm than good.”
Mr Al Ansari is determined to press ahead and believes the criticism is unfounded. “No, I am not trying to penalise the poor,” he said. “I’m just trying to introduce order.”
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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