A recipe for disaster

Two-wheeler riders on the road have become a menace to other motorists on the city roads. 

While they are known for wiggling their way through traffic, jumping signals, taking wrong U-turns and flouting other rules, another addition to this list of worries is that many carry huge loads, posing danger to all road users.

Many Bengalureans agree that this is a common sight on the city roads. In the interest of saving money and time, these two-wheeler riders block one’s view and pose a threat to pedestrians and other motorists.

Akansha Gupta, an IT professional, says that this happens frequently near Commercial Street.  “Many do this because they want to save money, not realising the dire risk they put others and themselves at.” She points out that of the many two-wheeler
riders on any road, at least three to four carry huge loads.
 
A two-wheeler which is carrying long iron rods or loads protruding onto the road often ends up taking up as much space as an autorickshaw would.

Vivek Vashist, an analyst, says that these riders assume that people around them will navigate accordingly. “Often when one is driving, they might not be able to gauge the distance required, when such a two-wheeler suddenly comes ahead. When one has to manoeuvre, it can be a tricky obstacle,” narrates Vivek.

Strict monitoring by the traffic police is the only way out, believe Bengalureans.  Vehicles carrying heavy loads often end up losing their balance.

Rajashree Hiremagalur, a homemaker, says that it is difficult to overtake these too, especially in traffic. “A slight mistake can result in an accident and one could get into trouble for no fault of theirs,” she says.

One has to drive slowly near these two-wheelers. Also these motorists don’t stick to the left. “Most two-wheeler riders do not follow lane discipline. When they have huge cartons or sacks loaded on them, they tend to ride in the middle of the road so that they do not tip over and fall,” adds Rajashree. She has observed that people carry glass panels, huge boxes and even construction material on two-wheelers. She adds, “Sometimes, one cannot even see the person riding the bike and that is scary.”

Jyothi Satish, a sales and marketing professional, says that these riders obstruct the motorists’ view of the road and thus become a distraction. “Sometimes, the load might not be as heavy as it looks, which makes the riders feel that it is alright to ride with them.

Often, these are people with small businesses and they can be seen using their mobile phones too, which diverts their attention from the road. This in addition to the existing traffic chaos is the perfect recipe for an accident,” she says.

Jyothi adds, “I had an accident like this near Malleswaram 8th Cross, where a two-wheeler rider passed by and broke my car’s mirror. He was not able to gauge the space required to move through.” She feels there should be a stringent watch on loads being carried on two-wheelers, with a big amount levied as fine.

The traffic department feels that this is not a major issue compared to the other two-wheeler issues. Manish Rungte, assistant chief warden, Ulsoor, feels that these perpetrators are most seen on the interior roads near areas with business-oriented  establishments and market areas.

“Most two-wheeler riders carrying loads are on mopeds and they do not travel long distances. Nonetheless, it is illegal to use two-wheelers to transport goods and a case of overloading is filed and it is booked to court notice. The court decides the amount. Though there are no major accidents reported due to this issue, they might create confusion on the road. This can be noticed on smaller roads in Jayanagar, Banashankari and even market areas like Chickpet, Shivajinagar, Bamboo Bazaar and Thippasandra,” says Manish.