primularossa

Hi all
due to the fact that everybody says that traffic is a problem in Doha, we where considering the idea of buying a motorcycle instead of a car when we arrive: not a big and powerful one, just a "city motorbike" - e.g. Yamaha X-city-125.....it never rains and it is not cold, and with a motorbike it should be more easy to move in the traffic.....or....is it too dangerous? Are there motorbikes around Doha? what is your opinion? Thanks a lot....

britexpat76

I would rather crawl on the pavement than ride a bike here. Dont even consider it.

Alexa

NO. NO. NO. Saying that, my husband has a Harley, but he only rides it on Fridays and in a group. Other than that, yes, there are bikes, like the food delivery guys..I think at least one of them dies every day. Besides that, we have about 50C here in summer, so riding a bike is far from comfortable.
And how will you get your shopping home and your kid to school ?
Get the biggest and meanest looking SUV you can afford. That might provide a bit of safety.

primularossa

Thank you a lot for your advice.

Actually, we thought to buy a car for family use (school, shopping, we...) and a motor-scooter for moving fast in the traffic when necessary, e.g. for the one of us who does not take our daughter at school and has to go to work quickly.

Where I live, motor-scooters are widely used at any age by anyone, I myself have learned how to drive one much before learning how to drive a car, when I was a teenager.

Consider also that we are used to crazy traffic in narrow and full of obstacles roads, or where people park in double rows, things like that. We tent to consider that the judgment over crazy traffic from a person, e.g., from the USA, where roads are large and traffic is much more disciplined, is a little bit exaggerated. :-)

On the other side, riding a bike in the middle of the traffic is not very healthy for what you breath.

I'll tell you my impressions when I arrive :-))

have a nice evening and thanks again
Primularossa

downrodeo

I'm from the UK but I've driven in Istanbul, Karachi and even in Somalia. Believe me, the traffic here is pretty mad and very dangerous. It's a potent mix of several things: drivers from around the world (including places where driving is completely undisciplined), very cheap petrol (which reduces the need for driving economically - just maximum acceleration and maximum braking), and big fast powerful cars such as landcruisers and pathfinders driven in an erratic and stupid manner.

Having said that, I plan to get a bike - but I wouldn't use it for the daily commute, that seems suicidal.

primularossa

I got the point, thank you. No motorbike then. But not even a bike. :-((

The economists think that what world would solve any problem is energy would cost nothing. As far as I see about Doha, cheap energy creates a lot of problems, both for humans and for the environment :-))

captainjack

Its not cheap energy creating the problems, it's the complete lack of education, respect for other road users and enforcing discipline/effective punishment when the rules are broken. This can be improved so easily:

1) I would enforce strict road tests on citizens from countries that are questionable in their standards as opposed to just converting a license.
2) Start looking at stats of the citizens involved in accidents as they did in UAE and start imposing some preventive measures (this one needs more thought on how/what to do once revealed)
3) Do not give the natives diplomatic immunity when they break the rules! This is more or less one of the fundamental disciplines Islam teaches about treating others!
4) Punish a driver when the rules are broken effectively, that is if the fine is monetary and the driver is wealthy then its not going to phase them.
5) Instant bans/ext. high financial fines for tailgating/flashing instantly, using mobile whist driving, driving without wearing seatbelts and changing lanes without indicating.

This is all achievable but for some bizarre reason it isnt. More time, energy, resources appear to be spent on ensuring no news is communicated that will portray the country in a negative light. Such a shame as this place can be 1 of the best in the world if they were not only focused on the image they want to present.

Alexa

[QUOTE=primularossa;11180519]I got the point, thank you. No motorbike then. But not even a bike. :-((

The economists think that what world would solve any problem is energy would cost nothing. As far as I see about Doha, cheap energy creates a lot of problems, both for humans and for the environment :-))[/QUOTE

Soon you will see it is not necessarily cheap energy that is the problem.
More like a serious lack of gray matter.