Saturday, May 09, 2009

Karachi


This is a very common sight in Karachi.

No. I am not talking about the 3 people on bike... though it is common.
I am also not talking about the full covering black hijab... that too is common.
I am talking about that kid who is being held by his mum (most probably) and I have issues with that!

Its so damn dangerous! First of all 2 wheels are unsafe as compared to four wheels. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with a car and they find motorcycle to be the only mode of affordable transportation in Karachi since Karachi lacks a proper functioning public transport system. I have my own car and my daughter is much safe but whenever I see other people's kid like that on motorcycles.. my heart melts I swear. No wonder we don't thank God for His bounties.

I have seen kids on motorcycles with held breath because they are vulnerable to God forbid any accident. I have seen children on the arms of father while father is holding the handles of the bike driving. I have seen children sleeping while sitting at the back and holding on to the driver (we once had to point out that to a motorcyclist). I once saw a person driving the motorcycle like hell and the kid at the back was clinging on him, what the hell was he thinking?!

3 comments:

a fan said...

Well, i am a 2 wheeler driver and driving in a slow moving traffic with any friend in pillion itself is very difficult. (fast moving traffic is easy to drive) And frankly, whenever i see a fellow driver balancing his whole family in his bike, i feel pity as well as really get irritated and think that if one is not even able to afford a safe journey to his kids, why are they having kids in the first place? - This is just my perspective. :)

Also, i would like to point out one more thing.

Ratan Tata - "So in this particular case, you could not help but notice that there were three or four family members on a scooter, the kid standing in the front, the guy driving the scooter and the wife sitting side saddle holding a little kid. And when you're driving a car, you certainly say, Oh my god, be careful, they may slip. Add to that slippery roads and night time too. Any of these reasons can be dangerous for transport." And he has finally come up with the Tata Nano car costing 1.3lakh plus. Also the EMIs have been kept around 3K per month which is perfectly affordable for a person who is planning to buy a 2 wheeler.

Now, there are all sort of arguments against this Nano car. While some are valid, i still support Nano car because it's definitely going to be a safer mode of transport.

Also, on the other hand, while my socialistic mind is fully supporting it, my capitalistic mind is truly concerned about Tata Motors share price :) Because this car is manufactured by squeezing the last ounce of cost from suppliers and there might not be enough profit out of this project for Tata Motors.

PostMan said...

at 1.3 lakh.. it still is 3 times the price of an ordinary bike here. I don't know how effectively it can cut the motorcycle segment.

a fan said...

Yes, it's 3 times costlier than a bike. But they have tried to maintain the monthly EMI as slightly similar to what will be for a two wheeler. So, now people have an option to go for a car by paying the same EMI monthly.(but for some more years)