The Bad Riders Thread

aansh singhania · 28th February 2021, 10:15

Slightly OT but there are a lot of channels on YouTube which actually post daily observations in mumbai and call out the bad riders/drivers with some channels even noting down the registration number and submitting it to the police. I find this guy to be the best amongst the lot although.

https://youtu.be/ZUCDOiB79M0

nimit3105 · 28th February 2021, 10:36

Totally agree that bikers & autowallahs have become a menace in Mumbai. Daily I encounter bikers cutting off cars randomly & they'd turn right from the left most lane at a signal. On WEH/EEH auto drivers and two wheelers drive in the 1-2nd lane at 40-50kmph disrupting the whole flow & they won't even move when honked. Recently a biker dangerously cut me off and I had to honk constantly at him. In return, he followed me throughout on the highway, driving so close to me that something would go wrong, tried stopping in front on me in the first lane and also hit my side mirrors with his hands. Unfortunately I was alone so couldn't record it. Dashcam is a must now to catch these people incase something goes wrong.
We definitely should do something about this

jeetumg27 · 28th February 2021, 10:45

Totally agree with this. I have my retail store in a busy market area in Chembur. It’s a narrow ONE WAY road, but throughout the day there are bikers, autos and at times even Ola/Uber drivers are “guided” through this road. Once in a blue moon, the cops will stand at the end of the road and catch these bikers coming the wrong way - I suppose they have some month end targets to meet and fulfil their targets on this road. That day, everyone falls in line and even bikers, once they see the cops at the end of the road, will take a u-turn and go the correct way.

All this, just to avoid a slightly longer route!

mmxylorider · 28th February 2021, 11:35

A dashcam will be your best friend for such situations. When it comes to your word against mine, video of the interaction is what will tilt the balance. IN the immortal words from Forrest Gump - "Stupid is as Stupid does", such footage will be the savior.

In my personal experience, most people shy away from confrontation when faced with irrefutable proof.

vredesbyrd · 28th February 2021, 13:28

I think it is even more justified now to get a massive SUV. No matter what city, Delhi, Bangalore, Lucknow! Hell, even quaint little towns like Manipal have few two wheelers acting the same.

I remember sometime back, I had made a similar post and a fellow BHPian (a rider) made quite a few insults at me on the forum for being a car owner and he was literally at the verge of using verbal abuse (read text abuse).

What is wrong with two wheelers? More importantly, why do they hog highway lanes at 40km/h? In fact, two wheelers on highways have caused innumerable accidents and deaths as people stop/swerve to avoid them (if you hit a biker, you die because the junta will lynch you as you hit someone who has a less expensive vehicle than yours). They cause accidents, they kill people and they literally walk (ride) away like nothing happened.

Cops should be even more strict with two wheelers. Before everyone starts getting offended or talks about equality, these are just my two cents. Nothing to fret about.

ADI7YAK · 28th February 2021, 16:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

These days being in 'zen' mode keeps us healthy (mentally and physically)

Couldn’t agree more. This is the single most important skill to develop if one has to remain sane (and safe) out on Indian roads. Even lowering down window to argue is dangerous and totally not worth it. Sadly I’ve been a victim once of such road rage. I would also suggest keeping a self defence weapon, just in case.

nick.cs · 28th February 2021, 16:27

Don't you think the unwritten rule here is - it is not my fault it is yours from both sides. I think thats the basic premise which everyone follows - even if you're in the wrong lane whether its a car or a bike.

I both drive and ride and i am sympathetic to the biker cause but have found them to be indisciplined as well. However a major chunk of the indiscipline also comes from all the delivery executives - swiggy / zomato / dominos / logistics delivery people who have a time bound activity to be done and are usually the ones who take the most risk.

Bikers are what we call "gaseous state" in science which we have been taught in school. They just try to fill in every available space between objects - in this case cars. With the volume (infrastructure) remaining the same, as the number of objects increase, collisions are bound to happen and things are going to heat up.

MatteBlack · 28th February 2021, 21:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by nick.cs

I both drive and ride and i am sympathetic to the biker cause but have found them to be indisciplined as well. However a major chunk of the indiscipline also comes from all the delivery executives - swiggy / zomato / dominos / logistics delivery people who have a time bound activity to be done and are usually the ones who take the most risk.

Bikers are what we call "gaseous state" in science which we have been taught in school. They just try to fill in every available space between objects - in this case cars. With the volume (infrastructure) remaining the same, as the number of objects increase, collisions are bound to happen and things are going to heat up.

This is true. I witness these delivery boys on their 2-wheelers riding very recklessly and more often than not, overspeeding even on narrow roads. I guess it's due to the time-constraints for deliveries. But let's be honest, none of us are going to greet the delivery person with a smile when our food/package is late

Neversaygbye · 1st March 2021, 00:11

Nowadays thanks to Covid, the number of bikers on the roads of Calcutta has increased exponentially, and to say that it has become a nightmare to drive would be an understatement.

Most bikers know the mechanics of how to ride a bike and very little else. They have no understanding of traffic rules, lane driving and blind spots.

I had a near miss with a biker just half an hour back while returning home from my in-laws' place. I was going straight on a T and he came out at full speed from the middle leg of the T - straight out of my blind spot and right in front of me, and then immediately braked. Thankfully I wasn't going very fast and managed to brake in time. The moment he heard the screech of my brakes he accelerated and disappeared. Near miss, thankfully, but frustrating all the same.

The other thing I find frustrating is bikes going slowly in the middle lane or in the right lane and refusing to move to the left most lane or give way - they just don't understand why you're honking at them and also don't understand the risk they run of getting rear-ended, especially in the rightmost lane.

Being a biker myself in addition to being a driver, I find this level of ignorance amazing (it's a no brainer not to ride in the right most lane). Sometimes I really get the urge to stop these guys and shake some sense into them.

CARDEEP · 1st March 2021, 09:31

I believe 95% of two wheeler rider, especially the scooty riders (99% of them) can be classified as bad in NCR. The situation is as scary that I gave up riding regularly almost a decade ago. There's absolutely no driving sense it seems. Rash driving, lane hogging, chatting on phone while riding, helmet less riding, overloading, wrong side riding, etc it's all common & habit.

As per my banker brother, bad loans cases on 2-wheeler auto loans are higher as compared to others. Simply put these people are low on morality too.

jayakumarkp · 1st March 2021, 12:13

At this point in time, i will be more than happy if wrong side riders are punished to the core so much that no one will ever attempt it.
We had a case of a youngster having lost his life when he chose to ride for few meters in the wrong side and ended up hitting oncoming traffic.
Very bad habit of some people - who, i suppose hates to wait for their turn before making a right turn, and instead choses to ride in the wrong side( facing oncoming traffic) and merges into the traffic when possible. That i think is the worst thing these guys do. Especially at nights, clubbed with the horrible LED headlights of scooters like activa, tvs and what not.

ThePatientMan · 1st March 2021, 17:57

Dear @invidious,

Thanks for bringing up a topic that its very close to my heart and mind. In fact my handle in Team-BHP reflects the patience that i have been forced to develop after riding & driving for more than 2L kms on Mumbai's roads.

I ride for a min of 68 kms (used to drive - have stopped courtesy Covid induced "salary re-adjustments" which by the way have steadfastly refused to go away till now) everyday and I am really appalled by some of the mis-guided & mis-directed missiles on Mumbai's roads (masquerading as two-wheeler riders).

They jump signals (coolly and casually as if signals don't exist), dangerously cut-lanes, squeeze between fast moving four wheelers (at times even inches from the cars bumpers), and do all of this proudly and as a matter of fact. Someone like me who adheres to all road rules are at times the only ones left standing at a red signal after every two -wheeler rider has jumped across.

The tribe of auto-rickshaw drivers are another set of unruly lot. What makes them more dangerous is that they are always in a bunch and ready to back each other up incase of a fight (verbal or otherwise) with a responsible driver / rider.

The bunch of OLA / UBER drivers are another set of samples. None of them know the standard network of Mumbai's roads (being a cab driver entails a working knowledge of roads i believe) and are completely at the mercy of Google maps and fluctuating mobile networks. They stop suddenly in the middle of a fast moving highway, take dangerous u-turns on the top of flyovers and cut at the last moment to get on or off flyovers all courtesy lost / weak mobile signals and hence stalled maps.

As mentioned by @Axe77, i echo similar feelings of physically assaulting them and have got into scuffles at time but over the years have realized that treating every other vehicle on road as a suspect (as a dangerous driver / rider) and trying to gauge their movements beforehand is the only way out. Also try and be patient and use a dashcam.

subhro1988 · 1st March 2021, 18:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by nimit3105

On WEH/EEH auto drivers and two wheelers drive in the 1-2nd lane at 40-50kmph disrupting the whole flow & they won't even move when honked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neversaygbye

Nowadays thanks to Covid, the number of bikers on the roads of Calcutta has increased exponentially, and to say that it has become a nightmare to drive would be an understatement.

2W driving on the 1st and 2nd lane of EEH/WEH at 40-50Km/h has become very common. The number of 2W have also increased after Covid because people are preferring to avoid public transport. I assume, most of these are 1st time riders, riding an Activa/Splendor, who know how to ride a 2W but have no road sense. I also assume, looking at their driving skills, that they are too pre-occupied and stressed about riding and are not able to process the fact that there is a line of cars behind who are honking/flashing. The only thing I do is safely move to the 3rd lane and get going. But as Murphy's law would have it, sometimes when I move to the 3rd lane to get going, a Vento/Creta with loud horns would honk so much behind the 2W that the 2W rider would move to the 3rd lane to give way

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeetumg27

It’s a narrow ONE WAY road, but throughout the day there are bikers, autos and at times even Ola/Uber drivers are “guided” through this road. Once in a blue moon, the cops will stand at the end of the road and catch these bikers coming the wrong way - I suppose they have some month end targets to meet and fulfil their targets on this road. That day, everyone falls in line and even bikers, once they see the cops at the end of the road, will take a u-turn and go the correct way.
All this, just to avoid a slightly longer route!

Same is the situation in a few 1 way roads inside Powai. I have realized that there is no point in getting an argument with any of them. Once a 2W rider sees a cop, specially at month ends, he takes a U-turn and keeps on indicating to all 2W riders while riding back.

PrasannaDhana · 2nd March 2021, 21:58

Both videos from today-

Overtaking around a blind curve, without even a helmet. Brilliant!

https://youtu.be/0KsFAHQc_mc

Street Rossi, again without a helmet and overspeeding in a crowded area

https://youtu.be/KJnbVHQfoM0

invidious · 22nd March 2021, 19:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by nick.cs

Don't you think the unwritten rule here is - it is not my fault it is yours from both sides. I think thats the basic premise which everyone follows - even if you're in the wrong lane whether its a car or a bike.

p.

I have seen a lot of drunk drivers driving cars recklessly especially during the 90s and right upto 2010. But that's the extent of it. You will see some people driving cars also act as if its their right to enter a no entry. This is fairly common among older uncles - "I have been using this road since Lal Bahadur Shastri was Prime Minister" - "But uncle it became a no entry when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister".

But I've never seen a guy actually follow someone just to pick a fight. As I said, he was probably having a bad day and wanted to vent.

The bikers over the last few years have really taken it up a notch though. Their sense of entitlement is unparalleled. I know this is a generalization and a loaded statement but I am making it fully aware of its implications. The cops need to do something.

28th February 2021, 10:36	#17
nimit3105 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Mumbai Posts: 103 Thanked: 154 Times	Re: The Bad Riders Thread Totally agree that bikers & autowallahs have become a menace in Mumbai. Daily I encounter bikers cutting off cars randomly & they'd turn right from the left most lane at a signal. On WEH/EEH auto drivers and two wheelers drive in the 1-2nd lane at 40-50kmph disrupting the whole flow & they won't even move when honked. Recently a biker dangerously cut me off and I had to honk constantly at him. In return, he followed me throughout on the highway, driving so close to me that something would go wrong, tried stopping in front on me in the first lane and also hit my side mirrors with his hands. Unfortunately I was alone so couldn't record it. Dashcam is a must now to catch these people incase something goes wrong. We definitely should do something about this
	(2) Thanks

28th February 2021, 10:45	#18
jeetumg27 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2021 Location: Mumbai Posts: 44 Thanked: 82 Times	Re: The Bad Riders Thread Totally agree with this. I have my retail store in a busy market area in Chembur. It’s a narrow ONE WAY road, but throughout the day there are bikers, autos and at times even Ola/Uber drivers are “guided” through this road. Once in a blue moon, the cops will stand at the end of the road and catch these bikers coming the wrong way - I suppose they have some month end targets to meet and fulfil their targets on this road. That day, everyone falls in line and even bikers, once they see the cops at the end of the road, will take a u-turn and go the correct way. All this, just to avoid a slightly longer route!
	(2) Thanks

28th February 2021, 11:35	#19
mmxylorider BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Austin, TX, USA Posts: 950 Thanked: 620 Times	Re: The Bad Riders Thread A dashcam will be your best friend for such situations. When it comes to your word against mine, video of the interaction is what will tilt the balance. IN the immortal words from Forrest Gump - "Stupid is as Stupid does", such footage will be the savior. In my personal experience, most people shy away from confrontation when faced with irrefutable proof.
	(1) Thanks

28th February 2021, 13:28	#20
vredesbyrd BHPian Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Freeport 7 Posts: 897 Thanked: 3,237 Times Infractions: 0/2 (9)	Re: The Bad Riders Thread I think it is even more justified now to get a massive SUV. No matter what city, Delhi, Bangalore, Lucknow! Hell, even quaint little towns like Manipal have few two wheelers acting the same. I remember sometime back, I had made a similar post and a fellow BHPian (a rider) made quite a few insults at me on the forum for being a car owner and he was literally at the verge of using verbal abuse (read text abuse). What is wrong with two wheelers? More importantly, why do they hog highway lanes at 40km/h? In fact, two wheelers on highways have caused innumerable accidents and deaths as people stop/swerve to avoid them (if you hit a biker, you die because the junta will lynch you as you hit someone who has a less expensive vehicle than yours). They cause accidents, they kill people and they literally walk (ride) away like nothing happened. Cops should be even more strict with two wheelers. Before everyone starts getting offended or talks about equality, these are just my two cents. Nothing to fret about.
	(8) Thanks

28th February 2021, 16:27	#22
nick.cs BHPian Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Mumbai Posts: 104 Thanked: 141 Times	Re: The Bad Riders Thread Don't you think the unwritten rule here is - it is not my fault it is yours from both sides. I think thats the basic premise which everyone follows - even if you're in the wrong lane whether its a car or a bike. I both drive and ride and i am sympathetic to the biker cause but have found them to be indisciplined as well. However a major chunk of the indiscipline also comes from all the delivery executives - swiggy / zomato / dominos / logistics delivery people who have a time bound activity to be done and are usually the ones who take the most risk. Bikers are what we call "gaseous state" in science which we have been taught in school. They just try to fill in every available space between objects - in this case cars. With the volume (infrastructure) remaining the same, as the number of objects increase, collisions are bound to happen and things are going to heat up.
	(3) Thanks

1st March 2021, 00:11	#24
Neversaygbye BHPian Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Calcutta Posts: 363 Thanked: 1,379 Times View My Garage	Re: The Bad Riders Thread Nowadays thanks to Covid, the number of bikers on the roads of Calcutta has increased exponentially, and to say that it has become a nightmare to drive would be an understatement. Most bikers know the mechanics of how to ride a bike and very little else. They have no understanding of traffic rules, lane driving and blind spots. I had a near miss with a biker just half an hour back while returning home from my in-laws' place. I was going straight on a T and he came out at full speed from the middle leg of the T - straight out of my blind spot and right in front of me, and then immediately braked. Thankfully I wasn't going very fast and managed to brake in time. The moment he heard the screech of my brakes he accelerated and disappeared. Near miss, thankfully, but frustrating all the same. The other thing I find frustrating is bikes going slowly in the middle lane or in the right lane and refusing to move to the left most lane or give way - they just don't understand why you're honking at them and also don't understand the risk they run of getting rear-ended, especially in the rightmost lane. Being a biker myself in addition to being a driver, I find this level of ignorance amazing (it's a no brainer not to ride in the right most lane). Sometimes I really get the urge to stop these guys and shake some sense into them.
	(1) Thanks

1st March 2021, 09:31	#25
CARDEEP Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NCR Posts: 3,248 Thanked: 2,522 Times	Re: The Bad Riders Thread I believe 95% of two wheeler rider, especially the scooty riders (99% of them) can be classified as bad in NCR. The situation is as scary that I gave up riding regularly almost a decade ago. There's absolutely no driving sense it seems. Rash driving, lane hogging, chatting on phone while riding, helmet less riding, overloading, wrong side riding, etc it's all common & habit. As per my banker brother, bad loans cases on 2-wheeler auto loans are higher as compared to others. Simply put these people are low on morality too. Last edited by CARDEEP : 1st March 2021 at 09:34.
	(1) Thanks

1st March 2021, 12:13	#26
jayakumarkp BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Pune, Palakkad Posts: 207 Thanked: 103 Times	Re: The Bad Riders Thread At this point in time, i will be more than happy if wrong side riders are punished to the core so much that no one will ever attempt it. We had a case of a youngster having lost his life when he chose to ride for few meters in the wrong side and ended up hitting oncoming traffic. Very bad habit of some people - who, i suppose hates to wait for their turn before making a right turn, and instead choses to ride in the wrong side( facing oncoming traffic) and merges into the traffic when possible. That i think is the worst thing these guys do. Especially at nights, clubbed with the horrible LED headlights of scooters like activa, tvs and what not.
	(1) Thanks

1st March 2021, 17:57	#27
ThePatientMan BHPian Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Thane Posts: 47 Thanked: 79 Times	Re: The Bad Riders Thread Dear @invidious, Thanks for bringing up a topic that its very close to my heart and mind. In fact my handle in Team-BHP reflects the patience that i have been forced to develop after riding & driving for more than 2L kms on Mumbai's roads. I ride for a min of 68 kms (used to drive - have stopped courtesy Covid induced "salary re-adjustments" which by the way have steadfastly refused to go away till now) everyday and I am really appalled by some of the mis-guided & mis-directed missiles on Mumbai's roads (masquerading as two-wheeler riders). They jump signals (coolly and casually as if signals don't exist), dangerously cut-lanes, squeeze between fast moving four wheelers (at times even inches from the cars bumpers), and do all of this proudly and as a matter of fact. Someone like me who adheres to all road rules are at times the only ones left standing at a red signal after every two -wheeler rider has jumped across. The tribe of auto-rickshaw drivers are another set of unruly lot. What makes them more dangerous is that they are always in a bunch and ready to back each other up incase of a fight (verbal or otherwise) with a responsible driver / rider. The bunch of OLA / UBER drivers are another set of samples. None of them know the standard network of Mumbai's roads (being a cab driver entails a working knowledge of roads i believe) and are completely at the mercy of Google maps and fluctuating mobile networks. They stop suddenly in the middle of a fast moving highway, take dangerous u-turns on the top of flyovers and cut at the last moment to get on or off flyovers all courtesy lost / weak mobile signals and hence stalled maps. As mentioned by @Axe77, i echo similar feelings of physically assaulting them and have got into scuffles at time but over the years have realized that treating every other vehicle on road as a suspect (as a dangerous driver / rider) and trying to gauge their movements beforehand is the only way out. Also try and be patient and use a dashcam.
	(1) Thanks