Last year, Dubai witnessed 254 accidents related to bicycles and e-scooters, resulting in 10 deaths and 259 injuries, including 17 severe injuries, 133 moderate injuries, and 109 minor injuries.
These numbers were revealed during an awareness campaign by Dubai Police and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The campaign included educational guidelines for cyclists and electric scooter users in seven major areas of Dubai: Marina, Al Barsha, Al Rukn and Al Murqqabat, Al Satwa, Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street, and Al Karama.
The campaign seeks to educate cyclists and e-scooter users about traffic regulations, including the importance of using designated lanes and pathways. Authorities also emphasised key safety requirements, such as wearing approved helmets and reflective vests, attaching bright white lights to the front of bicycles, red lights to the back, and ensuring bicycles are equipped with functional brakes to enhance user safety.
Dubai Police have ramped up traffic enforcement to ensure drivers adhere to laws and reduce reckless behaviour that could endanger lives and property.
Authorities have emphasised that failure to follow the rules will result in penalties. Riding a bicycle outside designated areas or paths will incur a fine of Dh300 while cycling or using an electric scooter on roads with speed limits exceeding 60 km/h will also result in a fine of Dh300.
Other violations include non-compliance with the technical requirements specified by the RTA, which results in a Dh200 fine.
Officials warned against carrying a passenger on a bicycle or electric scooter that does not have the proper equipment or fails to comply with the required helmet and vest. Failure to comply results in a Dh200 fine, and carrying a passenger on an electric scooter carries a Dh300 fine.
Major General Saif Mehir Al Mazrouei, Director of the General Traffic Department at Dubai Police, stressed the need to comply with traffic rules and technical requirements, as well as wear safety equipment to ensure the safety of cyclists, scooter users, and pedestrians on the roads, aiming to reduce accident rates and enhance public safety in the emirate. He urged the public to report any negative behaviours or hazardous actions via the 'Police Eye' service through the Dubai Police app or by calling the 'We Are All Police' service at 901.
Hussein Al Banna, executive director of the Traffic and Roads Foundation at the RTA, said, "The RTA emphasises the importance of enhancing and integrating awareness and traffic education efforts in partnership with the General Command of Dubai Police, as they are the main partner in achieving traffic safety goals in Dubai, particularly in the areas of awareness and traffic enforcement for flexible mobility users."
Al Banna added, "The RTA continues to implement flexible mobility projects that enhance the integration of transport systems in alignment with the 'Dubai, A Bicycle-Friendly City' strategy. The RTA also provides sustainable solutions to support cyclists and electric scooter users, having expanded the infrastructure for bicycle lanes and shared paths and regulatory and awareness measures to ensure safe and effective use of these modes."
Al Banna said, "The RTA has intensified awareness campaigns in collaboration with Dubai Police and the Ministry of Interior. One of the notable efforts is the RTA's active participation in the National Road Safety Campaign for Cyclists, launched by the Ministry of Interior in 2025, which aims to promote awareness of safe practices and adherence to traffic laws."
He continued, "The RTA conducted more than 80 awareness events in 2024, benefiting around 10,000 users in various areas of Dubai. These events were based on studies considering the density of individual mobility users, including areas developed by real estate developers, commercial markets, tourist destinations, and vital locations such as Jumeirah Beach, Dubai Water Canal, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard."
The RTA has launched initiatives such as digital permits for electric scooter use, developed safety standards, and expanded the creation of safe paths and infrastructure for individual mobility users. These initiatives support flexible mobility and reduce carbon emissions.
