[CaliAtenza]

I see cops..especially traffic..harrass people every day here in bangalore. Why is it only bikers that get stopped?? i barely ever see cars getting pulled over. Im from the US, but im here for studies (MBBS) and it is just terrible. I cannot respect any policeman/woman, regardless of how good their character is, because of their fellow colleagues' actions :(. If these guys were just paid a bit more, i honestly think corruption and harrasment would go down 50%. Another thing, the vehicles they use here are a joke...how would they catch speeders or traffic violators if their jeeps/cars cant keep up. The bikes are ok (pulsars, et all), but the 4 wheelers are just sad :(. I know you cant outrun the radio but still. Cant the forces get surplus cars from abroad from other police departments? Would things work better if the police departments here were organized like those in the US or other western countries? The regular police are never around when you need them to be either. Stoplight cameras (even though i absolutely despise them back home) would work wonders here in catching signal jumpers and stuff. What has gone wrong guys??

[hrag]

90% of bikers in Bangalore deserve to be harrassed by the police for the way they cause grief on the streets.

[CaliAtenza]

Originally Posted by hrag

90% of bikers in Bangalore deserve to be harrassed by the police for the way they cause grief on the streets.

what about us that dont cause grief? like law abiding citizens such as myself. Most of the people i see getting pulled over are middle age people..that too at random. Instead of having those stupid checkpoints..having roaming police at important junctions and major thoroughfares. Bangalore has the money, why not invest in a centralized traffic control and monitoring system..that way you solve the problems of violators and traffic congestion. The IT industry can help out in this. If Bangalore wants to be a world class city....it needs to be done. After all, thats how it works in world class cities .

[Rotorhead]

last week around banashankari i was harassed by two cops for an hour at 11 PM at night just for 50 bucks. Was returning late from office after a release and was using my friends bike since mine had gone for servicing and inspite of showing all the valid documents and work proof they harassed me saying that how could they know that it wasnt a stolen bike. I told them to call up my office or come with me to my office since it was right next to my office that this happened, and check my credentials but still they harassed me till 12 PM in the night and all this for 50 bucks. Initially they demanded for 800 Rs and finally they settled to take whatever was there in my purse which luckily for me was only 50 bucks.

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by hrag

90% of bikers in Bangalore deserve to be harrassed by the police for the way they cause grief on the streets.

I don't agree to that.

I used to ride a bike till a year ago and they would stop me just like any other biker for no reason...while that goonda / idiot / @$#@$#@$# with no document will be whizzing past in his four-wheeler blaring dichuk dichuk music. What logic is there in that?
Do you think that all the four-wheelers on road are there with PROPER docs?
Don't they jump red lights?
Don't they bully others?
Don't they drive on the wrong side of the road?
Don't they drive dangerously?

Maybe you NEVER rode a 2-wheeler.

Now i drive a four-wheeler.

-- Torqy

[deadguy25]

I have seen a bunch of cops regularly blocking traffic to stop 2-wheelers who are behind buses/trucks. The result traffic gets blocked for a few minutes until one of the cops go around and ask the bikers to push over to the kerb. I mentioned "push-over" because the cop removes the keys from the bike and orders the rider to push his bike to the kerb! How sweet!!!

Originally Posted by Torqy

I don't agree to that.

I used to ride a bike till a year ago and they would stop me just like any other biker for no reason...while that goonda / idiot / @$#@$#@$# with no document will be whizzing past in his four-wheeler blaring dichuk dichuk music. What logic is there in that?
Do you think that all the four-wheelers on road are there with PROPER docs?
Don't they jump red lights?
Don't they bully others?
Don't they drive on the wrong side of the road?
Don't they drive dangerously?

Maybe you NEVER rode a 2-wheeler.

Now i drive a four-wheeler.

-- Torqy

A lot of 4-wheel drivers do not know the difference between high beam and low beam - to quote an example of 4-wheel drivers!??

I dont think it is fair to say that 2-wheelers need to be harassed by cops!


Mod's Note: Please answer to everyone in a single go rather than breaking up a post into multiple, contiguous posts.

Posts merged.

[hrag]

I still ride a 2-wheeler in Chennai. Haven't ridden a 2-wheeler in Bangalore since 1997.
Please humour me - even if I had never ridden a 2-wheeler, should I condone the stupid antics of 90% of bikers in Bangalore? A small gap and they have to put their front tyre there. I am yet to encounter a single biker who dislodges my ORVM (while doing something stupid) and stops to apologize & set it right.

Everybody who doesn't follow rules should be harrassed. 2-wheelers in Bangalore flout more rules than 4-wheelers.

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by hrag

I still ride a 2-wheeler in Chennai. Haven't ridden a 2-wheeler in Bangalore since 1997.
Please humour me - even if I had never ridden a 2-wheeler, should I condone the stupid antics of 90% of bikers in Bangalore? A small gap and they have to put their front tyre there. I am yet to encounter a single biker who dislodges my ORVM (while doing something stupid) and stops to apologize & set it right.

You're right about the 2 wheelers finding gaps...etc. I was talking about cops stopping ONLY the 2 wheelers to check papers. They are definitely not doing it for the zig-zag riding.

Originally Posted by hrag

Everybody who doesn't follow rules should be harrassed.

You're right again. Then why ONLY 2 wheelers?
Do you see call centre cabs stopped for rash driving?
Do you see buses stopped for bullying?

I'm not saying they shouldn't stop 2 wheelers. STOP EVERYBODY.

[Akshay1234]

also happening in bombay. cops are coming down hard on 2 wheelers. they stop any person who is not wearing a helmet and also if the pillion is not wearing a helmet.

[viper_711]

Originally Posted by Torqy

You're right again. Then why ONLY 2 wheelers?
Do you see call centre cabs stopped for rash driving?
Do you see buses stopped for bullying?

I'm not saying they shouldn't stop 2 wheelers. STOP EVERYBODY.

Torqy - the logic as it appears to me is that if you stop 3 cars - you have a traffic jam on most roads in B'lore!
AFAIK Traffic cops are given targets to 'catch' a certain number of offenders per day / week.
This leads to bikers being victimized.

[ajmat]

Today, i woke up with my face really itchy. Drove down MG road with one had rubbing my face. At Trinity Circle towards the old Airport Road, a cop signals for me to pul over!

"Namasakar"
"Kannada bharta?"
"Solpa"
"Speak english"
"You were using mobile phone !"
"I was not"
"You were"
I get out of car. Remember, he had been seeing my hand movement, search and find my phone in back pocket"
" Nodi!, last call, ysterday 6.30 pm!"
"Okay, go!"

So my friends, do not cover your mouth when driving!

[deadguy25]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Today, i woke up with my face really itchy. Drove down MG road with one had rubbing my face. At Trinity Circle towards the old Airport Road, a cop signals for me to pul over!

"Namasakar"
"Kannada bharta?"
"Solpa"
"Speak english"
"You were using mobile phone !"
"I was not"
"You were"
I get out of car. Remember, he had been seeing my hand movement, search and find my phone in back pocket"
" Nodi!, last call, ysterday 6.30 pm!"
"Okay, go!"

So my friends, do not cover your mouth when driving!

GOsh!! If I have to yawn/cough while driving I should remember not to cover my mouth!!!

[lancer_rit]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

also happening in bombay. cops are coming down hard on 2 wheelers. they stop any person who is not wearing a helmet and also if the pillion is not wearing a helmet.

That is very deserved. I pardon 2wheeler guys most of the crazy antics that many of them pull off, but if the guy is without helmet, I really get irritated - the guy does not value even his own life and wants to subject others to causing grievous injury by being passive participants!

[dadu]

Cali, I agree with you its a sad state, like a plague, dont know what else can be said/ done.

[lancer_rit]

Well, a month back, I had this cop pulling me over as I crossed the red light (HAL crossing just after the old airport if you are going towards Marathahalli). In fairness, as I was half way past the crossing, the signal turned red.
He says you jumped the red light and don't you know the rules as an educated guy ? I tell him I am sorry but the green light jumps directly to red - how can I instantly stop and reverse my car back to the stop line ?
We argue for a while (this chap was decent to speak in English since I don't know Kannada). He tells me if I am making an idiot of him - he was standing and he watched the lights turn red and that I started crossing after it was red. I tell him ok, let's go to the other side and I bet the light instantly turns from green to red, and not green -> yellow -> red. Finally, he says "ok go. But don't jump red lights being an educated guy". I tell him sure but please get the traffic light fixed !

Today, I noticed the traffic light still goes from green -> red at that junction :-(