Erbil police crack down on unlicensed motorcycles

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Traffic police in the Kurdistan Region’s capital launched a campaign to seize unregistered and unsafe motorcycles a week ago following an uptick in traffic accidents and violations which have increasingly annoyed locals.

This move has angered motorcyclists, with one of them on Sunday setting his motorcycle and dozens more on fire after it was confiscated by the police in Erbil's Brayati neighborhood.

"We will not end the campaign until seizing the very last unlicensed motorcycle in Erbil," Fazil Haji, media officer for Erbil’s Traffic Directorate told Rudaw's Payam Sarbest on Sunday. 

Haji said the campaign will cover the entire Erbil city and its outlying districts and areas and added they will take prudent legal measures against those who have made counterfeit license plates.

There are only 8,000 registered motorcycles in Erbil, according to Haji.

Drivers also complain about cyclists not abiding by traffic rules and disturbing people with the noise they make in residential areas.

Health officials have warned traffic accidents involving motorcycles are increasing.

According to Haji, there are no exact figures on the number of unlicensed motorcycles in the Erbil province or the Kurdistan Region as a whole.

While the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) banned the importation of motorcycles in 2012, motorcycles continue to be brought into the Kurdistan Region from across Iran and Iraq.

"Any motorcycles imported into the Region since then do not carry a license," he said.