The riding rules Ridable applies
Every rule the route planner follows, how it applies it, and the source it rests on. Rules marked "Ridable judgement" are design choices, not law. Wrong or out of date? Write to hello@ridable.app.
Dubai checked 2026-11-04
Every rule the router applies in Dubai, with the source it rests on.
| Rule | How the planner applies it | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ride on the cycle lanes designated by the RTA where there are any. | Dedicated tracks cost 1.0 per metre, shared paths 1.15, everything else more, so the planner prefers a track whenever one exists within reason. Fine for not using a designated lane: AED 200. | Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2022, Article 6(2), 2022-03-31 |
| Never ride a pedal cycle or e-bike on a road with a speed limit of more than 60 km/h. | Roads tagged with a limit above 60 km/h, and all motorways and trunk roads, are closed to routing (class noroute). Fine: AED 300. | Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2022, Article 6(7), 2022-03-31 |
| Pedal cycles and e-bikes may be used on internal roads and byroads with a maximum speed limit of 60 km/h. | Residential, unclassified, living and service streets with no limit or 40 km/h or less are quiet streets; streets of 41 to 60 km/h are busier streets with a higher cost. Primary and secondary roads count as busier streets even with a low limit (Ridable judgement: they carry main-road traffic). | Administrative Resolution No. 654 of 2022 (implementing bylaw), Article 3(I)(3), 2022-12-01 |
| Do not ride on a lane designated for walking or jogging. | Sidewalks and paths tagged for walking only are walk-your-bike (class walk) and cost 3.2 per metre. Running tracks inside parks are left out of the network. | Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2022, Article 6(8), 2022-03-31 |
| Dismount and wheel the cycle while using pedestrian crossings. | Crossings are their own class (cross), cost 2.0 per metre, and the directions say to walk the bike across. Crossings of busy roads add a time penalty (45 s with signals, 90 s without, Safest profile). | Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2022, Article 6(16), 2022-03-31 |
| Cycling is prohibited on pedestrian bridges; a bike may be wheeled across. | Footbridges and foot tunnels with no bike tag are walk-your-bike (class walk). | RTA cycling tracks page, 2026-11-04 |
| Only folding bicycles may be carried on the Metro. | Metro stations are shown as stops, never as part of a bike route. The station card says folding bikes only. | RTA cycling tracks page, 2026-11-04 |
| One-way streets apply to bicycles unless signed otherwise. Riding against traffic is a traffic offence. | Ways tagged oneway=yes (and oneway:bicycle not no) are one-way for the router: riding against costs 4 times more on the Safest profile, so it is used only for a few metres. | Federal Traffic Law (Federal Law 21 of 1995 and its amendments), as applied to cycles by Dubai Police campaigns, 2026-11-04 |
| A roundabout is one-way (anticlockwise in the UAE). | Ways tagged junction=roundabout or junction=circular are one-way even when the oneway tag is missing, which is the OpenStreetMap convention. 1,557 roundabout road pieces in Dubai lacked the tag on 1 November 2026. | OpenStreetMap wiki: Tag:junction=roundabout (implies oneway=yes), 2026-11-04 |
| No-turn and only-turn signs apply to cycles as to other vehicles. | OpenStreetMap turn restriction relations (no_left_turn, no_right_turn, no_straight_on, no_u_turn, only_*) are applied at the junction node unless they except bicycles. Restrictions that depend on the time of day are not modelled. | Federal Traffic Law (Federal Law 21 of 1995 and its amendments), 2026-11-04 |
| A gate marked private or no entry is not a public way. | Gates tagged private, no entry, permit, customers or locked, and walls or fences across a path, are blocked: a route never passes through them, though one may start or end at one. Bollards, cycle barriers and open gates are passable. | Ridable judgement from OpenStreetMap barrier and access tags; 2,836 such gates in Dubai on 1 November 2026, 2026-11-04 |
| Main-road flyovers and underpasses are legal where the limit allows, but a dedicated bike or foot bridge is safer. | A bridge or tunnel on a primary, secondary or tertiary road costs 4 times more (Safest) or 2 times (Most direct), so a bike bridge nearby wins. Ridable judgement, not law. | Ridable judgement, 2026-11-03 |
| A path with no bicycle tag may be walking only; follow the signs there. | Class path, cost 1.7 per metre, shown dashed with the label 'bike access not confirmed'. Reports and riders' GPS tracks move paths to confirmed classes. | Ridable judgement; OpenStreetMap tagging of highway=path and highway=footway, 2026-11-04 |
| Speed limits for cycles: 20 km/h on urban tracks and shared paths, 30 km/h on amateur tracks (Al Warqa, Nad Al Sheba) and in areas shared with vehicles; no limit on the training tracks at Al Qudra and Seih Al Salam. | Shown in the Rules tab. Not used by the router: time estimates use an easy pace of about 15 km/h on tracks. | RTA cycling tracks page, 2026-11-04 |
| Wear a helmet and reflective vest; use lights after dark. Fine for no helmet or vest: AED 200. | Shown in the Rules tab; the route card reminds riders to use lights after sunset. | Executive Council Resolution No. 13 of 2022, Article 6(10) and RTA cycling tracks page, 2022-03-31 |
Abu Dhabi checked 2026-11-04
Every rule the router applies in Abu Dhabi, with the source it rests on. Where the published sources disagree (60 km/h roads allowed or not), Ridable takes the stricter reading.
| Rule | How the planner applies it | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Riding on roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h or more needs prior authorisation. Fine: AED 200. Secondary and tertiary roads of 60 km/h or more are off limits except for ITC-approved groups. | Roads with a limit of 60 km/h or above are closed to routing; streets of 41 to 59 km/h are busier streets. Gulf News (2026-02) says roads of 60 km/h or less are allowed without a lane; the fine list says 60 or more is a violation, so Ridable closes 60 km/h roads. | Khaleej Times: Full list of violations in Abu Dhabi on e-scooters, bicycles (ITC and Abu Dhabi Police fine list), 2026-07-17 |
| Cycling is permitted on internal roads with speed limits below 40 km/h, dedicated cycling tracks and shared pedestrian-cycling paths. | Residential, unclassified, living and service streets with no limit or 40 km/h or less are quiet streets. Tertiary roads with no limit tagged are closed (unknown_tertiary = noroute), because many are 60 km/h or more. | Gulf News: Know the rules, where e-scooters and e-bikes can ride in Abu Dhabi, 2026-02-01 |
| Riding on bridges or in tunnels that have no designated bicycle lane is a violation. Fine: AED 500. | A road bridge without a mapped cycle lane becomes walk-your-bike on its pavement, or closed if the map says it has no pavement; a road tunnel without a lane is closed. Bridges with a cycle lane (Hudayriyat) route normally. | Khaleej Times fine list, 17 July 2026, 2026-07-17 |
| Riding on walking tracks and sidewalks is a violation. Fine: AED 500. | Sidewalks and walking paths are walk-your-bike (class walk). | Khaleej Times fine list, 17 July 2026, 2026-07-17 |
| A helmet and reflective vest are required. Fine: AED 200. | Shown in the Rules tab. | Gulf News: Abu Dhabi Police to fine riders for breaking safety rules, 2022-08-25 |
| Riding against the direction of traffic is a violation. Fine: AED 200. | One-way streets and roundabouts are one-way for the router; riding against costs 4 times more on the Safest profile. | Gulf News: Abu Dhabi Police to fine riders for breaking safety rules, 2022-08-25 |
| No-turn and only-turn signs apply to cycles as to other vehicles. | OpenStreetMap turn restriction relations are applied at the junction node unless they except bicycles. | Federal Traffic Law (Federal Law 21 of 1995 and its amendments), 2026-11-04 |
| A gate marked private or no entry is not a public way. | Gates tagged private, no entry, permit, customers or locked, and walls or fences across a path, are blocked for routing. | Ridable judgement from OpenStreetMap barrier and access tags, 2026-11-04 |
| Highways and channel bridges without lanes split Abu Dhabi into separate riding areas. No legal route joins the island to Yas, for example. | The no-route message names the riding areas. Ridable finding from the network, 3 November 2026. | Ridable network analysis, 2026-11-03 |