Weighing stations could be built on main highways for trucks after Bahrain’s largest municipal council approved the proposal yesterday.
The move is aimed at regulating the trucks and providing an official mechanism to ensure they adhere to the weight limits specified for their capacity as part of efforts to maintain traffic safety, safeguard against accidents, as well as protect against human and financial losses.
The proposal was tabled by the Northern Municipal Council’s financial, administrative and legislative committee chairwoman Zaina Jassim who pointed out that currently there was no official mechanism in place to weigh the trucks with authorities depending on random inspections.
“The proposal aims to build and install weigh stations on several main and vital highways that witness heavy truck movement to eliminate the possibility of trucks carrying weight above their capacity,” she told the GDN.
“Carrying weight above the approved capacity of the truck can result in catastrophic casualties – both human and financial – and we need to regulate this and issue fines.
“Excess weight also impacts the infrastructure of roads and bridges that these trucks are driven on costing the country large amounts of money to maintain and fix once the damage is done.”
She said talks with the Traffic Directorate revealed that at present there was no way to accurately weigh the trucks.
Random inspections are held to examine the trucks if they arouse suspicion, but Ms Jassim said this wasn’t enough to regulate the practice and urged that processes similar to those in Saudi Arabia and the UAE be implemented in Bahrain.
In a written response to the council, the Traffic Directorate highlighted that there are organised and random inspection campaigns held to weigh the trucks, with specifications listed in the 2014 Traffic Law to ensure legal action is taken against violators.
Council chairman Ahmed Al Kooheji praised the proposal and highlighted that it will further enhance the traffic safety and security of Bahrain.
“This is a great proposal as it aims to achieve traffic safety and security for all road users by ensuring these trucks are not carrying weight above their specified capacity,” he said.
“The stations will be placed in specified locations and they will help regulate the entire mechanism.”
The proposal was yesterday approved unanimously by the council and will now be referred to Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf.
The council also unanimously approved a proposal to allocate land in A’ali’s block 742 to construct a mosque, a proposal to develop Road 8 in Salmabad; a proposal to create a gateway for Salman Town, and another to develop Salmabad’s industrial area.
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