WHAT I am writing about is not new but this is one issue that deserves attention – and I hope the authorities concerned will take notice.
I am talking about vehicle inspection at the Traffic Directorate which has become “frightening”.
While the number of vehicles in Bahrain is steadily increasing due to various reasons, there is a shift in population demography. This has resulted in many vehicles on the roads being well past their ‘use by’ date and no real mechanism of determining which vehicle should be on the roads and which shouldn’t.
This has affected the services provided across all government departments, including the Traffic Directorate.
I recently went to get my car inspected and chose a private centre that has been designated by the traffic authorities, even though it costs twice as much. There is no doubt that these centres have helped alleviate the pressure on the authorities but it is still not at the required level, since many people, given their difficult financial circumstances, prefer to go to the Traffic Directorate so that they can save BD5.
My question is: Why is the fee doubled the second time if the vehicle fails the first inspection? In the past, this was not the case. The same is the case at private centres as well. Frankly, it is only logical that this should not happen since the fee has already been paid once.
We are in dire need of urgent and radical solutions to save what can be saved and correct this unsavoury situation.
There is no doubt that the Interior Minister and all the employees of the ministry are making exceptional efforts to develop the services provided to citizens and residents in all areas of security in general and traffic in particular.
I hope that this will be resolved as soon as possible and the ministry would consider cancelling these recurring fees.
Another solution is to add more private centres across Bahrain.
I also hope that the legislative and executive authorities urgently consider a law to determine the lifespan of vehicles.
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