Vehicles older than 20 years may go off-road

DUBAI — The registration of vehicles that have exceeded 20 years on the roads may not be renewed, according to an official of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
In a Press release yesterday, Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, stated that the Services Ministerial Council has approved of a motion of two decisions submitted by the RTA to the National Transport Authority.
“The first decision provided for reducing the maximum permissible gas emissions from vehicle exhausts. The policy calls for reducing carbon monoxide gases from 4.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent and hydrocarbon from 800ppm to 300ppm (parts per million). The second decision is related to banning registration and renewing registration of old light vehicles the life of which exceeds 20 years, provided the said period is further cut to 15 years by January 2010. It is also provided for banning the import of used light vehicles the life of which exceeds five years and used heavy vehicles the life of which exceeds seven years,” Al Tayer said.
However, the date of implementation of the new rule is yet to be decided as it is currently being discussed, sources say.
Earlier this year, the Dubai Municipality had conducted an 'On Road Vehicle Emission Measurement Study' where a US-based company which conducted the study suggested that a 10-year retirement for vehicles on Dubai roads was one of several feasible steps to reduce pollution.
The study had also revealed that the vehicle pollution in Dubai compared to American standards is around 13 per cent (for vehicles using petrol) whereas the pollution rate is 2.5 per cent in Virginia, US, and two per cent in Michigan.
The study by the Dubai Municipality revealed that six to 12 per cent of the vehicles registered in Dubai were harmful to the environment as they exceeded the permissible levels of emissions.