Cyclists

The UAE has one of the highest death rates per capita in the world. This is not strange considering the standard of driving here. Much has been written about the lack of lane discipline, the ignoring of red lights, the overtaking on the inside and the excessive speeding. Little seems to have been mentioned about the cyclist.

The cyclist here bears slight resemblance to the Lycra clad, helmet wearing Western model. It is more likely to be an elderly Indian or Pakistani man with newspapers or food. The norm is to ignore traffic signals and then to cycle the wrong way down a dual carriageway in the outside lane. This is to avoid the articulated lorries that never notice bicycles but are stuck in the inside lane**. Lights are unheard of and helmets non-existent. The scariest cyclist I saw was travelling the wrong way on a motorway bridge in the outside lane with a large number of plastic pipes slung across the back of the bike – sideways.

The bikes themselves are a marvel of low-tech engineering. Cable brakes are unknown, rods are used, and frames are made of heavy-duty iron with three crossbars for carrying people and goods. Stickers stating "Made in Pakistan" or "One speed" are on Super Deluxe machines in green or black.

I am always amazed that so few of them are killed, or perhaps it is just that they never make the news.

**M42 please note – if lorries leave the inside lane and are caught the drivers are jailed, loose their jobs and are deported.