Dubai wants to ban poor people from driving

Bugatti Veyron in service with the Dubai Police fleet.

Dubai is known for its supercars, even the police have their own fleet, A University student parking lot is full with the likes of the Bugatti Veyron and Rolls-Royce.

And while these cars are the preserve of the wealthy in a booming economy, there is also an increase in the number of cars owned by the average, less wealthy, meaning more traffic congestion.

But a public leader in Dubai has an innovative road-clearing proposal: allow only the wealthy to own a car. “Everyone has their own luxurious life, but the capacity of our roads cannot handle all these cars without property laws,” CEO Hussein Lutah said at a conference in Germany, which was published on the UAE news site The National.

Luta said one of the road clearing options would limit car ownership to those with monthly incomes above a certain level that has yet to be decided. He added that car pooling would not work for the less wealthy because the country has such a diverse population with more than 200 nationalities (many of which are wage earners), so the public awareness program would be difficult.

He believes limiting car ownership will encourage less affluent people to use public transport such as buses, taxis and a new tram system that is being rolled out.

This reporter on Twitter: @KarlaPincott