Editorial
Pavements under siege
Motorcyclists' menacing ride
A news photo in our yesterday's paper vividly demonstrated how motorbikes riding along footpaths by Ramna Park posed hazard and inconvenience to pedestrians. This is just a snapshot view of what is emerging as a terrible phenomenon on the pavements across the city.
The bikers swarm like locust on the footpaths. They just scamper on to these in a close shave with a vehicle slowing down to take a turn on the main road, even sometimes opening the door to drop off one or the other passenger risking an accident. This particular exploit of the motorcyclists, themselves sometimes carrying more than one passenger to risk a fall in gleeful nonchalance towards pedestrians is utterly outrageous. This puts to risk both the mavericks as well as their victims.
It represents an outlandish violation of rudimentary traffic rules. What a terrible addition is this to the tangled mess on the pavements with construction materials, jutting garbage, sales wares, squatting hawkers, welding outfits and teashop fronts draped overhead with flimsy plastic material.
On the motorcyclists ramping up on the pavements making shortcuts to avoid traffic congestion, the High Court had ruled a prohibition against it. But the menace continues with vengeance as the police are yet to enforce the court directive. The impunity has grown because no violator has been fined or otherwise penalised. This must begin now to din a sense into the ears of the unruly motorcyclists.
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