The traffic authorities of Las Tunas announced stricter measures against riders of motorbikes and electric scooters who play loud music, participate in illegal races, or violate road regulations, including the confiscation of the vehicle for those who fail to pay the imposed fines.
José Enrique Collazo González, head of Traffic in the province, explained that electric scooters are the main focus of the operation, as their owners, mostly young people, have made technical modifications that generate "deafening noises that disturb pedestrians and neighbors in residential areas."
The sanctioned behaviors include driving with modified exhausts that create loud sounds, playing music at volumes that exceed the permissible decibels in urban areas, riding without a helmet, transporting three people on the same motorcycle, participating in illegal races, and driving without a driver's license, as specified this Thursday by the official newspaper 26.
Infringing vehicles are taken to a storage facility with retention periods ranging from one day to six months, depending on the severity of the offense.
The established rate is 500 Cuban pesos per day, and the confiscation mechanism is automatic. "Once individuals are informed of the date they must pick up the equipment moved to the storage center and do not pay the full applicable rate, the next day the confiscation of that means of transport will proceed," Collazo warned.
The most recent operation by the Provincial Transit Directorate of Las Tunas against traffic violations involving motorcycles and electric mopeds has not been without criticism.
In recent days, people from Tunas have raised concerns about the operation on social media, noting that the daily fee is unaffordable in the context of the economic crisis. They also mentioned that the difficulty in obtaining a driver's license in the province causes many drivers to become offenders out of necessity rather than intent.
Citizen dissatisfaction with noise has documented precedents. A survey conducted in September 2025 revealed that over 70% of respondents in the eastern province rated the music from motorbikes, cycle-taxis, and recreational centers as "deafening" and "irritating."
The tunero operation is part of an offensive that has spread across several provinces this year. In July, Guantánamo imposed daily fines of 1,000 pesos on motorcycles with resonators.
In the same month, noise in Sancti Spíritus was classified as a worsening problem since 2022. More recently, authorities in Havana confiscated speakers from bici-taxi drivers and warned that repeat offenders could face charges of disobedience. In April, an operation in Santiago de Cuba immobilized over 200 motorcycles.
The national pattern shows an irregular application of rules that have been in effect for years. The professor and communicator Manuel Calviño summarized it in July on his program Vale la Pena on the Cubavisión channel of official television.
"There are laws that regulate all these matters; however, they are not enforced, and since they are not upheld, they are even less likely to be followed," he argued.
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