Editing Transport in Niger (section)

===Motor vehicle regulation===
Vehicles in Niger are subject to the "Laws of the Road" ("''Code de la route''”), for which the government began a continuing reform in 2004-2006, which are based substantially on French models.<sup>[1]</sup> Vehicles travel on the right side of the road and roads use French-style signage.<sup>[2]</sup> Routes Nationale is marked with the traditional French [[Milestone]]s: a white tablet with a red top, marked with the route number. Vehicle owners must obtain a registration document (“''carte grise''") and vehicle license plates ("''plaques d’immatriculation''"), which are of similar manufacture to those in [[Guinea]] and [[Mali]].<sup>[3]</sup> License plates usually contain the national code "RN" for international travel.<sup>[4]</sup> Niger is a signatory to the September 1949 [[Geneva Convention on Road Traffic]] and thus honors [[International drivers license|International]] driver’s[[International drivers license|licenses]] from other signatories.<sup>[5]</sup> Drivers’ licenses are regulated through the national Ministry of Transport but issued by local officials.<sup>[6]</sup> Drivers must pass a driver’s test to qualify.<sup>[7]</sup>

A 2009 enforcement blitz in Niamey resulted in numerous arrests of owners of small motorbikes, common in Nigerien cities. One newspaper reported that most riders believed erroneously that there was no license or regulation required by law for motorbikes under 50cc in engine size, although these had been regulated in law since 2002 but not enforced.<sup>[8]</sup> Motorbikes are also common means of public transport in some Nigerien cities. These motorcycles "''taxis motos''", or "''kabu kabu''", are the primary form of taxis in cities like Zinder, Agadez, and Maradi. In Zinder, a 2009 local newspaper report claimed there were no more than "three to five" automobile taxis operating in a diffuse city, which subsequently relies upon the only partially regulated motorcycle taxi sector.<sup>[9]</sup>