[amohit]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

Worst part is that , most these fellas are educated.

I have yet to come across an uneducated lower middle class guy doing such stunts.
All of the bikers I have seen till date in bangalore, driving on footpath/driving in the wrong direction/crossing over the raod median with there bikes looked quite educated (mostly IT professionals).

[Ketan]

You all will definately get few if you come to Intermediate ring road during rush hours on weekedays. There used to be cops standing at perticular intervals to catch these guys, but they know all these tricks, know where cops are standing and get off the footpath as they approch the place (around ejipura signal)

I ride my motorcycle to work and see these crazy folks riding on footpath, lot of them are riding with pillion and sometimes scared to stand near the footpath in traffic because of of these footpath riders fall near you, he will surely hit my car / bike badly (and you never know when they will fall!)

[silversteed]

My office is in TIDEL Park, while I stay near Thiruvanmiyur RTO, around 3km away. I generally walk home from office. Sometimes I see morons on bikes riding on the footpath between the Thiruvanmiyur signal and the depot. My modus operandi for such behaviour is, stand still, take out the mobile phone (I listen to music thru the bluetooth headset while walking), change tracks, type texts, etc., all this, while the erring biker stands there honking.

This technique has worked many a time, so I tried it last week as well. The moron was on a TVS moped. I stood there, blocking his path (rather footpath). He started using expletives, to which i simply stared at him and coldly said this is the footpath, and pointing to the road, that he better move to the road. Soon, there were 5-6 people looking at us. And I started getting "sensible" advice: let him go, cooperate, why create a trouble, blah blah. Not even a single human being had the spine to stand up for doing the right thing...

Another similar incident happened yesterday. Same place, same time, same me. This time, the moron was a man with his wife as pillion on a HH splendor. He was well-dressed, knows how to ride the bike properly (because he was maintaining good balance even on the uneven slabs of the footpath, had his mirrors open,...), and spoke Malayalam (which i realised later). I saw him coming, and I stopped right in the middle, but there was a slope instead of steps leading to the shop in front of which I was standing right now. Cold stare. He honks. I refuse to budge. He demands if I have any issue in him going thru the footpath. I say yes. He wants to know why. I said, because it's the footpath and vehicles should go to the road. I try to block the path when he tried to move. Sadly, nobody behind me on the footpath when i turned around if I can garner some support. In between, he rode around me and left. I think I should've done what ajmat has done (in the first post) - turn off his ignition, grab the key and throw it onto the road.

To add to my woes, a friend of mine happened to call me after this incident. She rides and drives quite fine in Ernakulam city - so she understands. This girl also started telling me that I shouldn't have wasted my time, because these morons would never understand, and they'll never follow rules. All these put together, I felt bad. Why isn't anyone ready to stand up and speak?

Anybody who feels there's a better option to prevent such morons on encroaching upon pedestrians' path?

[Jaggu]

Jump off the foot path (but double check its safe!) and then yell as if you were hit by that 2 wheeler. Rest crowd will take care

I think we all need to make the resolution that we will abide by rules, civic sense and educate others as much as possible. Thats the only way out.

I have to admit, i used to be a foot path rider in Indira Nagar till around 2005-08. Actually the foot path was a mess, traffic was full choc-a-block thanks to flyover construction and me in a hurry used to find the foot path. Foot path being a mess had no people and most of them preferred to walk on the road, so i guess i never encountered any pedestrians.

Still a totally unacceptable behavior from me, and am ashamed of it.

[aargee]

No point blaming @silversteed; just imagine this - if the guy comes & knocks you down & starts crying!!! you're at stake because the public will support the person who's crying & ask you to let go off with the incident, worst case being cops too. Lucky if you're not injured, otherwise the pain becomes double - both mentally & physically. If you throw away the keys, you don't know what consequence you might end up with. What if the guy is little stout, instead of searching for the key, rolls his sleeves & pushes you down to search for the thrown keys? Just shrug off & let it go.

Or turn your anger/frustration positively - join FOP - you can stand against anyone violating the law.

[fine69]

Taking law into own hands isn't the right thing!

One could join the traffic police force and teach a lesson to as many as he would want to but until then, let the designated people do the job. Please don't get me wrong, I'm probably the biggest hater when it comes to those who violate traffic rules and could kill them if it wasn't illegal. However, when we come down to doing things the way we want it could lead to serious trouble as well.

Imagine killing someone and telling the rest of the world that that person did not deserve to live - such doings might not measure upto this but are nonetheless similar.

I'm not sure if something like this exists but if traffic cops start getting some percentage of the amount issued in challans it would be a better bet then civilians taking out keys and throwing across the road.

Again, I completely understand your frustration. More so because I've never driven a bike in my life and one who only drives cars in delhi isn't an avid fan of two-wheelers (specially those who cut in between and create a nuisance on road) but this could be fatal if you come across some hot head.

[silversteed]

I don't generally drive/ride in Chennai city, unless I've got something urgent - then I'll be using a friend's vehicle. But when I drive/ride, I do it sensibly. I know it's possible to reach my destination on time, safe, and without any problems to the vehicle - all this without ever resorting to *ANY* traffic rule violation. More importantly, without inconveniencing pedestrians (not jay-walkers though).

I ignore it (but I wish at least one gets hit) when two-wheelers cut lanes, jump signals etc. They'll pay for it dearly some day. But it's really disgusting to see them on the footpath which is meant for people. It was just a rant when I said I should've thrown that bloke's bike keys onto the road. But then if I were in a group, I would surely consider doing it.

A senior colleague of mine got hit by a car when he tried to jump a signal two weeks back. He was in the hospital, and returned to work yesterday. Even education and age doesn't imbibe common sense into bikers' heads.

Originally Posted by fine69

isn't an avid fan of two-wheelers (specially those who cut in between and create a nuisance on road)

fine69, I'm of the same opinion on two-wheeler riders in general. But there are exceptions everywhere.

These kind of fora are the places where people like me can vent out on such things. And about joining FOP and others - possible if you have the time, not otherwise.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by aargee

No point blaming @silversteed; just imagine this - if the guy comes & knocks you down & starts crying!!!

Which country is this ? I failed to fathom how someone bangs into a pedestrian on the footpath falls down and then pretends to/actually ends up crying ? Come' on pal we are in India and trust me its the other way round. You bang into someone and on a 2/4 wheeler the general mob mentality is that the 2/4 wheeler rider/driver is always at fault.

Even if a biker is on the wrong side of the road and a 4 wheeler crashes into him, the driver of the 4 wheeler is at fault as per the crowd. Well that's general mob mentality and we gotto live with it.

[kkr2k2]

Originally Posted by fine69

Taking law into own hands isn't the right thing!

One could join the traffic police force and teach a lesson to as many as he would want to but until then, let the designated people do the job. .......

It doesnt sound as simple as you say. May be a person who joined in Traffic Police Force just for the purpose you have mentioned can only say what you said.

What is FOP?

[aargee]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

Come' on pal we are in India and trust me its the other way round.

As you said, this is India, anything can happen. Don't believe me still? Read this true incident, a two wheeler banged on car, yet no one supported the two-wheeler. IMO, it all depends on how you manage the situation.

Originally Posted by kkr2k2

What is FOP?

Check out these links; but applicable only in Chennai & that's why I suggested him - Friends of Police & friendsofpolice

[kkr2k2]

I forgot to share this incident earlier.

I was traveling in my car on Chaderghat Bridge. As usual in the evening, its a traffic jam. There was a bus on the extreme left, I wanted to pass through, I could not I end being in the center of the road, a bus which tried to overtake me from the left but could not leaving my car(indica back then) lengths gap between the bus and the bus infront of me but the bus was blocking all the two wheelers behind it.

The two wheeler folks started using the foot path. Ah! ingenious idea to beat the traffic, isnt it??.... well not to everyone. A rider has a mysterious fall onto to his right. Ooops his helmet was not on his head, it was on the tank(its summer he thought he could enjoy the foul & smelly breeze coming from river musi). People run to his rescue, I also come out of my car to help this chap, he is bleeding from the region around his ear, his right leg crushed between the bike and the tarmac. People asked him, how he fell, he is not sure. He was just staring trying to guess how he had a fall.....

I guess I was the only guy who knows how he fell because I was having a clear view. I said... "you tried to put your leg down when the there was a slight pause in the moment of the traffic on the footpath. But you put the wrong foot down".

I hope you all understood what happened. He tried to put his right leg on the pavement which is at least 10" above the ground but there is no pavement on his right and 'bamhh'.... he saw stars. Had he not been injured I would have laughed my guts out so that he could hear my satanic laugh(ROTFALMAO....) ridiculing him.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by kkr2k2

It doesnt sound as simple as you say. May be a person who joined in Traffic Police Force just for the purpose you have mentioned can only say what you said.

Obviously its not simple, neither is trying to make a living with what these guys are paid.

My point was that one cannot justify taking law in their hands just because traffic cops wouldn't do the needful. And if its unbearable to such an extent then one should be a traffic cop (fulltime/permanent job), act selflessly and improve the situation for others. I wasn't talking about any FOP here.

Its understandable that at times things get on our nerve and we act in a way we shouldn't. However, that does not make it right and neither we should support it for the sole reason that one's safety comes first (I'm sure we all have someone or the other depending on us) and no one would want a fellow BHPian taking unnecessary heat (or more) from anyone.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by aargee

As you said, this is India, anything can happen. Don't believe me still? Read this true incident, a two wheeler banged on car, yet no one supported the two-wheeler. IMO, it all depends on how you manage the situation.

In your situation as per the cross linked post, apparently people never came over to help the biker.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

In your situation as per the cross linked post, apparently people never came over to help the biker.

Well, I didn't elaborate much over the incident there; there were people, there was crowd, they were trying to talk to me, if I'd given a chance they would've done what they could do with me; seeing me calling the cops, all of them slipped away gradually from the scene & even if they stayed & tried to compromise between us, I would've simply asked them to stay until cops arrive & ask them pleadingly to give their number so as to call them as witness in the court. Trust me, that was a good learning to keep nerves under control; in the past I would simply blow off & messing up myself. That was a good lesson that I learned that day. I'm sure if it were a place like Bangalore where I do not know language, may be, I would've messed up.

Originally Posted by fine69

Obviously its not simple, neither is trying to make a living with what these guys are paid.

I suggested FOP to Silversteed not for living, but to save him from the wrath of angry people for throwing the keys on road. Being an FOP has a little benefit to justify; and once they get caught & left with warning, if not everyone, people will think twice before riding on footpath next time.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by aargee

I suggested FOP to Silversteed not for living, but to save him from the wrath of angry people for throwing the keys on road. Being an FOP has a little benefit to justify; and once they get caught & left with warning, if not everyone, people will think twice before riding on footpath next time.

. Wasn't contesting what you said.

My point was that since we aren't the "traffic cops" we should let them do the job of controlling this menace.

I would again re-iterate that we should not resort to anything illegal (violence/inappropriate gestures/abusing/other things) and instead be cool-headed. I've come across some really weird incidents one being an innocent civilian losing his life when trying to sort things out between two.

Be Calm & AVOID till you can!