JEDDAH, 24 May 2007 — Over 20 quad bikes and 15 horses and camels were seized yesterday afternoon in the Corniche area in a major municipal crackdown on the illegal and unlicensed rental of bikes and animals.
Two camel owners managed to escape leaving their animals with municipal officials, who had spread out at various entry points to the Corniche. Other animal and bike owners with valid iqamas were handed on-the-spot warnings and had their animals and bikes confiscated. Those without iqamas were detained for deportation.
“Quad bikes and these animals, which are operating without licenses, have become a nuisance to visitors to the Corniche and caused lots of accidents leaving some members of the public injured,” said Mahmoud Kinsarah, head of Jeddah Municipality’s Licensing and Commercial Monitoring Department.
The raid targeted areas of the Corniche close to the Jeddah Map Roundabout on Amanah Street, which is the first entrance to the Corniche. Kinsarah said that there has always been a municipal ban on quad bikes and animals.
However, he added, there have been no fixed plans to put a stop on the problem until recently. “After so many accidents and complaints, the late Makkah Gov. Prince Abdul Majeed ordered the establishment of a special committee to fight this phenomenon,” he said, adding that the municipality is now working with both the police and the Passport Department to bring a stop to the problem by holding frequent raids.
All confiscated bikes will be kept in police custody until their owners pay their fines and sign agreements not to rent them out to members of the public without the appropriate registration documents. Animals are being housed with a private company that has signed a contract with the municipality to take care of them until their owners pay fines.
Kinsarah added that owners of quad bikes and animals could rent them out to members of the public away from the Corniche area after obtaining special licenses. Bike owners can obtain relevant licenses from the Traffic Department, while animal owners need to obtain approval from the municipality after providing relevant health certificates.
The official also said that Jeddah Municipality is currently looking for specific locations where people could rent animals and bikes.
