Traffic Ticket for Bicycle !!

I’ve got this on my email:

ok this might sound as a joke but i swear that this happened on tuesday 26\8\2008

I got a phone call from work which i have 9 asian workers mixed (paki’s,indian and Bangladeshi) that one of my workers and his name is zaher abbas is stopped by the traffic department last night and got a ticket!

Now i know that non of them have a driving license so the first thing came to my mind is that he was caught driving without a driving license so i drove back to my office called him in and started yelling and held him by the throat on how on earth did he get the courage to do such a thing i was so furious and angry and he was crying giving me the sad face and saying that was caught on his bicycle!

I didn’t believe my eyes when i saw the ticket but yes he was saying the truth and it was written there on the ticket that zaher abbas was cycling in the opposite direction of the street, now to my knowledge as a bahraini born here and been here for 38years that the traffic department can issue a ticket on cars and motorcycles but not on bicycles and I guess that that’s the start we might get a ticket by just walking the opposite direction too!

So I took the ticket and head directly to the traffic department to see what’s going on, and as I went in I met a friend of mine who works there and showed him the ticket and he said: are you serious?; so I replied: Are you guys in the traffic department serious??

We walked together to one of the offices there and I showed the ticket to the policeman working there so he smiled and said well I know this is ridiculous but what to do this is the law! so I paid the fine and got a release paper to get the bicycle out of the cars yard where they keep the impounded cars and now they keep bicycles too.

I’m ok with speeding cameras being stationed everywhere and tinted windows although its too freaking hot out there but what sort of plan that the traffic department came up with to fine bicycles and impound them!

I toke some pictures of the ticket and the fine receipt and the bicycle itself but sorry couldn’t get the camera in the yard with me i wish i could you guys would have seen a whole new section there especially for bicycles.

it says here in the ticket that you have to come personally to the department with your registration papers and driving license! (never knew that i have to register a bicycle or get a license to cycle it around!)

The Receipt: