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Of Road Infrastructure and Traffic Discipline

We in India get thrilled when we get a six-lane highway, having been deprived of good roads in the past. What a six-lane highway does is increase the speed of vehicles and that is where the problem starts. First and foremost, a highway should be designed well and not in a haphazard manner wherein, for instance, three lanes merge into two lanes without a warning. Even if three lanes merge into two, there should not be a wall at a right angle across the third lane; it should merge in gradually so that even if a driver or rider is caught unawares, they will not be vulnerable to a head-on collision, at worst a glancing blow.

The road tax we pay is one of the highest in the world and the road infrastructure is pathetic. Furthermore, we have to pay toll for roads that are half decent.

The road transport ministry is trying to make helmets mandatory for pillion riders as well, which is a welcome move. We know that it is very inconvenient to carry an extra helmet, but the pillion rider is at as much risk of getting hurt (or even worse) as the rider.

On the one hand, the ministry of road transport wants to push the use of helmets and, on the other, the government has banned the import of helmets that are superior to the ISI-mark helmets sold here. This is a little perplexing, to say the least.

To make the roads safer we must enforce traffic rules and have a stringent riding/driving test in place. Almost ninety-nine per cent of the people who possess a licence to ride a bike should not be on the road in the first place, for they have no clue about riding a bike nor are they conversant with the basic traffic rules since there is no rider training programme before issuing a licence.

 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Normality Still Proves Elusive

Life was just about regaining normality after the pandemic when the war between Russia and Ukraine gave rise to a global crisis with energy shortage pushing up the price of fuel and gas. The semiconductor shortage seems to be easing now as manufacturers start increasing production. Two-wheeler sales, however, are yet to regain the pre-pandemic figures and the economy is yet to recover fully. The combined upshot of all these is that all the essential commodities are becoming more and more expensive and this naturally hurts the ordinary citizen, who is a two-wheeler buyer, the most.

This month we have tested a variety of two-wheelers, including two 300-cc scooters by Keeway and two 350-cc Hunters by Royal Enfield. The Keeway scooters come in a retro and moto scooter design. To date Royal Enfield motorcycles were made mostly for laidback cruising and riding, barring the Continental GT and the Himalayan. While the GT is a retro café racer, the Himalayan is an off-road touring bike. Now the company seeks to attract younger riders with the Metro and Retro Hunters.

The authorities in Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon) have increased the fine five-fold for driving/riding on the wrong side of the road, for it is one of the biggest causes of road accidents. As has been discussed in these columns time and again, the traffic situation in our country is moving from bad to worse by the day. People tend to show blatant disregard for traffic rules, whether it is traffic signals or cutting a road-divider to make a right turn or driving/riding down the wrong way. Last month I was driving up from Mumbai and was horrified to see a police SUV being driven down the wrong way between Lonavala and Khandala on the Expressway. If the custodians of the law start braking traffic rules in this manner, what can one expect from ordinary citizens? We look up to the Army for setting standards of discipline, but today one comes across even Army personnel breaking traffic rules. We need to take drastic action now, otherwise the situation will deteriorate into one of free for all.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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A Route Less Travelled

This month Bike India celebrates its 17th anniversary. In 2004, a new publishing house, by the name of Next Gen Publishing, was founded. It was funded by the Shapoorji Pallonji Group and HDFC. When Next Gen decided to start an automobile magazine, it would have been very easy for them to take the tried and trusted route of launching one that covered both cars and two-wheelers. However, the core team decided to take a big risk by launching two separate magazines: Car India and Bike India. To date, Bike India remains the only dedicated bike magazine in the country.

The team at Bike India would like to thank our readers and manufacturers for their support over the past 17 years and look forward to it in the future as well. The magazine has gone from strength to strength. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the unsung heroes of the Bike India team whom you never get to see or hear about: the marketing team, the office staff, and the design team who are not in the limelight and put in a lot of hard work month on month to bring out the magazine.

Last month I rode the new Triumph 660 Tiger and was pleasantly surprised by the bike. It is a mid-size motorcycle that does everything you want. The compact size of this bike makes it easy to handle when you are not on the move and easy to navigate through city traffic and, at the same time, it has enough performance to do long-distance touring. One wonders whether one really needs a 1,000- or 1,200-cc adventure sport bike to do long-distance touring.

Once again, I would like to thank our readers and manufacturers for their support. Please wear your helmets and be considerate to others on the road and ride with care.

 

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Need to Get Priorities Straight

Since 2020 life has become very unpredictable as one does not know what is round the corner a couple of weeks down the line; whether we will get another wave of COVID, or if Putin goes to war. Due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, the fuel prices have gone beyond the Rs 100 mark and this has hit the common man the most. The two-wheeler owners have to put their hand in their pockets to pay for petrol and this is one of the major reasons why the sales of new two-wheelers has taken a hit.

Last month, we were invited by Bajaj for the opening of their new assembly line of the all-electric Chetak at Akurdi where the original petrol-engine Chetak used to be manufactured. The new assembly line takes up a fraction of the space of the huge building with a lot of space for expansion to increase the capacity as and when needed. The new assembly line is sleek and modern but what impressed me the most was when we were taken for a walk of the new R&D facility. The battery testing facility is placed remotely to keep any fire hazard away from the main R&D building. Though we had limited access to the R&D centre, I must say I was really impressed with the new R&D capability of Bajaj Auto.

The Mumbai Police are making it mandatory for pillion riders to wear a helmet. Yes, it is incontinent to carry a extra helmet but let me say that a pillion rider is just as much or even more vulnerable to getting injured or losing their life in an accident as the rider. Many a time I have seen a rider wearing a helmet and their wife, girlfriend, or friend without one. I stop and ask the rider, “Don’t you care for your partner’s life?” Moreover, three—even four persons—on a bike is a big no.

Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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Rest in Peace, Zal

This month’s editorial is being written in a very sombre mood for we lost one of our former colleagues, Zal Cursetji, in a road accident. We keep talking about the pathetic traffic situation in our country, but it is not until it affects one of our own that it hits us hard.

It was in the wee hours of a Saturday that Zal was returning home after dropping off a friend when tragedy struck. A car took a turn from the opposite side without indicating and hit Zal head-on. The impact was on the left side of the car and the accident occurred in the middle of the square. The car driver did not use the turn-indicator nor did they give Zal the right of way.

Road safety is a big concern today and the root cause of the problem is lack of proper riding and driving schools. The driving and riding test is a joke; most people who obtain a licence to ride or drive do not have a clue about driving a car or riding a two-wheeler. It is high time we devised a stringent driving/riding test so as to preclude those morons on the road who are a hazard to others and themselves.

Drunk driving is another issue which needs to be addressed with a proper breath-analyser test and not, as is the current practice, with a policeman poking his nose into the rider’s/driver’s face, trying to make out whether they are sozzled.

This editorial is dedicated to dear Zal. We have lost you, but we will keep fighting to make our roads safer. Let us hope we can make a difference and try to educate people about road safety.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor