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Morocco Topics specific to Morocco, including Western Sahara west of the berm
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 11 Jan 2013
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Been to morocco loads of times on motorbikes~~~~~~~~~~~~~ but just returned after 3 weeks backpaking on local buses~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i have never seen so many police about stoping trafic ~ they no have proper radar guns and bmw 1200 rt to catch you .. And machine guns !!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ do not ride your bike fast !! And exeed the speed limit !!!
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  #2  
Old 18 Jan 2013
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I would think respecting local laws, whether traffic or otherwise, would be sound advise for travelers to any country, we expect visitors to obey our laws, it is arrogant to think we can ignore theirs, if you speed and get caught...tough.
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Old 18 Jan 2013
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I noticed three speed traps last trip.

They usually position themselver a couple kilometers outside the village, where there is a oued and a speed limit zone. The zone may extend for quite a bit after the oued, and that is where you get caught.
In one case, the police officer had cleverly parked a van so you could easily miss the speed sign.
I got into a discussion with him, who insisted on 400 Dh. The Moroccan lady who was also caught told me "you have to pay". But I was too mad. "If you are really looking after road security, why don't you position yourself by the oued? Why one km after?" "You give Morocco a bad name". That hurt his national pride. "Go to Algeria and TUnisia, and you will see chaos", he said. Good point.
"But this would NEVER happen in Algeria or Tunisia", I replied. At that he handed back my licence. "You give Sweden a bad name", he said.
Guess I will have to live with that.
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  #4  
Old 18 Jan 2013
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Originally Posted by Jim Franklin View Post
I would think respecting local laws, whether traffic or otherwise, would be sound advise for travelers to any country, we expect visitors to obey our laws, it is arrogant to think we can ignore theirs, if you speed and get caught...tough.
Although I agree with you to a point, it's not as black and white as that in Morocco, often there is not any indication of the end of a speed restriction on your side of the road for example, multiple speed reductions for dry oueds on a straight road where you have only seen 12 vehicles in the last 180km, solid white lines around long open curves where you can see for miles and all the locals will overtake.

It's also very easy to be going over the speed limit without really knowing. TanTan has a bad name for the overzealous Police, travel from South to North and there is one very small 40 sign when you enter the town normally in Morocco towns are 60, as you leave the town there is a posh dual carriageway, at least two vehicles wide per side and there is not any indication of any increase in the speed limit, so I can only guess it's still a 40 zone which is crazy slow, you can guess where the Police set up their speed trap to catch the unwary

I saw dozens of speed traps in December, but they normally follow the same pattern, either just as you enter or leave a town or village or hiding on the toll roads.
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Old 18 Jan 2013
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Theres an awful lot less checkpoints than there used to be but they are getting better radar guns etc.

I've found in the touristy areas driving a hire car or foreign vehicle you'll generally get waved through unless you being really naughty. But if you use local transport buses grand taxis etc the vehicle is much more likely to be stopped. Officially theare only licensed to carry a certain number and a few dirham is normally requested for each person over this limit.

I've been stopped loads over the years but normally just get a talking too after being very apologetic, a bit of arabic helps more than french (in so many ways in Morocco :lol This year was our first speeding ticket

as I said things are much better than when we first visited when every checkpoint would stop every vehicle
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Old 18 Jan 2013
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Haven't been to Morocco since 2007 but had been loads of time before that, never stopped by the local Police and the only time one flagged me down was to get a lift after his car broke down about 20 miles from Town...between his poor English, my rubbish French and non-existent Arabic we managed to have a laugh on the way to Town at the expense of the British, the Americans (especially them) and the French...

Going back on October this year...
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  #7  
Old 19 Jan 2013
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First time I visited Morocco I was enjoying the ultra smooth blacktops doing quite an illegal speed on my cafe racer. I came round a corner and to find a roadblock with stingers spread over the road and Force Auxilliares with guns pointed at me. What I didn't know was that the previous day the Air Force had tried to shoot down King Hassan II as he returned from Paris in his Boeing and people were being arrested all over the place. General Oufkir, one of the plotters 'committed suicide' afterwards.

Mind you, this was August 1972, so plus ça change. Don't speed.
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