Biking Capital Of The Country??...Really??

I recently got the chance to visit a city people like to call the biking capital of the country. No it’s not down south, nor is it up north, but somewhere in between. The major industry in this region is the auto industry with a lot of big names in both the two wheeled and the four wheeled world having operations here.

Anyways, everybody seems to be calling this beautiful city the biking capital of the country, but the ground realities don’t quite seem to match up to all the hype. From the middle aged uncle, on his CD100 to a college kid on his Pulsar 220, to the PYTs on their twist-and-go. Neither seems too concerned about their safety. I hardly saw anyone put on anything close to even resembling a helmet in all the time I was there. No doubt all the saner ones did and always stood out in all the chaos on the streets.

Young men all seem to hate even the sight of a helmet and the women folk like to cover their faces and heads with a duppatta. What I would like to say to the guys is, investing thousands on ‘modifying’ your ride can wait, but buying a good quality helmet cannot. To the ladies, all I have to say is that duppatta might save your pretty faces from the sun but god forbid, if something terrible happens that thing will turn to smithereens and so will that pretty face of yours. No offence.

Would you also believe that there is a rule to compulsorily wear a helmet when riding a two wheeler in place for the last few years? But no one seems to care, neither the riders nor the police. I characteristically remember that when the regulation to wear a helmet came out, there were ‘anti helmet’ rallies in the city. I think the government should just give up trying to get the people here to wear helmets. Since protesting against something built to save their heads proves that the head doesn’t have anything worth saving in the first place.

I’m not the only one saying this. While I was there one of the newspapers carried a story, accompanied with pictures, of how people get their driver’s license by giving the mandatory test without a helmet to the RTO.

In the capital on the other hand, there is a similar ruling, but people actually do wear helmets, even if it’s out of the fear of the Police slapping them with a hefty fine. Also there were no protests against the rule. None that I can recall. One cannot even imagine going out of the house within the locality without a helmet, so strict is the Police in enforcing the rules. They might trouble you at times but try passing a manned intersection and you have to be the luckiest one around to get away without being pulled over.

Biking capital of the country??...Really?? Not in my books it isn’t.