Heavy fines for breaking Dubai Tram road rules

The Road and Transport Authority (RTA) has warned motorists they will face stiff penalties if they disobey rules set for the roads the Dubai Tram shares with. The Dubai Tram is set to begin operations officially from November 11th.

RTA has urged motorists, and pedestrians as well, to learn the new signs and pavement markings which have been put up along the 10.6 km tram network. The trams are set to pass through at least 30 junctions, crossings and intersections starting from Dubai Marina and stretching up to the Tram Depot near the Dubai Police Academy.

Penalties for not following the rules range from Dhs 2,000 to Dhs 30,000, along with the driver’s license being suspended for a certain time period, depending on how serious the offence is.

The largest fine is for jumping the red light at a tram intersection and causing a fatal accident. This carries a penalty of Dhs 10,000 to Dhs 30,000, along with the driver’s license being suspended for a year.

If motorists jump the red light at a tram intersection, causing an accident and injuries, the fine issued can range from Dhs 5,000 to Dhs 15,000. The offender’s license will be revoked as well for a minimum 1 month and maximum 6 months.

Just jumping the red signal at the tram intersection without causing any damage can land you a fine of between Dhs 2,000 to Dhs 5,000. The driver’s license is also suspended for a period of minimum 30 days and maximum 3 months.

Motorists need to be aware of regulatory pavement markings as well. One of them is zig-zag line markings on the road, which means stopping a vehicle or changing lanes is prohibited at all times in those areas. Other regulatory markings include yellow and white lines on tram tracks that are not controlled by traffic signals, and speed bumps.