Addis Ababa joined a growing list of African cities that have banned motorcycles.
BY BBC NEWS
A ban on motorbikes has come into force in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, aimed at curbing crime. The city’s mayor said criminals riding motorbikes often robbed people.
Takele Uma said businesses would be exempt, but delivery companies say they have been affected – with their bikes seized by the authorities.
Motorbikes have become increasingly popular in Addis Ababa as a way of avoiding traffic jams, but are not as common as in many other African cities.
Similar bans have been in others places across Africa in a bid to end violent robberies and attacks.
More than a week before the ban came in, a food delivery company, Deliver Addis, told customers that it was suspending services after the authorities seized motorbikes.
On Monday another food delivery service, ZMall, which delivers food for Pizza Hut, announced that they too were no longer taking orders because of the ban.
Motorbikes have been outlawed in some cities of Africa’s most populous country Nigeria for nine years.
In Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, commercial motorcycles are banned from entering the city centres where they were seen as a means of quick get-away for thieves, reports the BBC’s Nduka Orjinmo.
While in the northern city of Maiduguri they were banned in 2011 to prevent drive-by attacks by the radical Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
These bans have increased the burden on commuters who grapple with heavy traffic that motorcycles were able to avoid, our correspondent says.
Lagos state relaxed some of its ban, allowing ride-sharing motorcycles to operate under strict regulations, he says.
Lots of wedding guests getting their phones stolen in Addis these days. Seems everyone has a story of how theirs got stolen. What is your story? Mine was grabbed, as I was using it, when a dude on a motorbike grabbed it from my hand a flew off when I first moved to Addis.
— Samuel Getachew (@GetachewSS) May 6, 2019
A ban on motorbikes has come into force in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, aimed at curbing crime by riders who rob people. The city's mayor said businesses would not be hit – but delivery companies said their bikes had been seized.
— Farhan Jimale (@farhanjimale) July 9, 2019
