Just a bit more power, please!

Fifty cc bikes? What’s that, say under-16 students, who are supposed to ride two-wheelers of that capacity in the city
SAGAR V

Gone are the days of simply walking to school, or having your parents drop you there, or even rushing out of your house, shoes in hand, your tie flying wildly behind you, as some form of arranged transport honks frantically.

School children these days have found a new means of getting to school conveniently, at leisure, and in style. Sixteen years of age is indeed sweet, for they can now apply for a Learner’s Licence — LL as it is more popularly known — and cruise to school on papa’s two wheeler,or even better, a brand new one of their own.

Of course, the fact that LL holders are not permitted by traffic rules and law to ride bikes that have an engine displacement of more than 50 cc,is ignored. And by a substitution(1994) in section 4 of the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988,this phenomenon is blatant stepping over the law.

Ajay has been riding a Honda Dio to school for the past few months. When queried about the legality of this, he’s puzzled. He says, “Wrong? No,not that I know of.”This is justified as it happens all around him. Strangely, not many are fined for riding something that is at least 100 percent more powerful than the lawful limit. Nitin and Vinay are two boys who almost died while riding a RX135 on the Outer Ring Road, where you have a seemingly never-ending stretch of asphalt in front of you. Only, you have to weave in between countless trucks,provided they haven’t run you over already.

Says Vinay, “Yes, I know we were not qualified to ride that bike. For my part, I’ve learnt my lesson, and won’t be doing anything of the sort again.

“Parents are, mostly, very much aware that their children are riding something they aren’t supposed to. Often, it is with the consent of whoever owns the bike that the under-18 person uses the vehicle. Parents cite many reasons for allowing this.

“When nobody has the time to drop my son to school, and he has no choice but to go by public transport, he’ll hardly be in time to school; he takes his father’s old bike, which no one uses,” says Susheela K whose son rides the 150 cc bike. “But,of course, I make sure he is very responsible about it.” It is a comfortable set-up, she says, especially as BMTC buses hardly arrive on time, and they are often choked, congested and bursting with people. And autos are expensive.

In India, the urban market for 50 cc mopeds and scooterettes is virtually non-existent,and there are few models and variants available. And,it seems, no teenager would be willing to be seen with something like a Kinetic V2 XL, or aLuna TFR. “It’s hardly cool to be driving those things. They just don’t move!” says Rajshekhar Bhandari, a class 12 student.

But if a traffic policeman signals you to stop for a routine check, then you’re done for.Well, mostly. Says Nitin, “The cops sometimes find it acceptable if you’re riding a Honda Dio, or a Honda Activa, both of which have an engine capacityof 102 cc. But if you’re a Learner,and you’re riding a motorbike that is more powerful,you’re definitely fined.” Defaulters are fined Rs 300 for not possessing a driver’s licence. The boys will have to keep in mind of what Uncle Ben once told Spiderman: With greater power comes greater responsibility.

(All names have been changed)