Just when I had come to terms with idiot grown-up pavement drivers, a new threat has arrived - kids on bikes. You know, those metal things with handlebars that kids love to pick up and swing around in the air before slamming them down hard on the pavement.
“Anyone unfortunate enough to get in the way would be seriously injured. Most of their parents just look on indulgently, without any attempt to stop them using what amounts to a dangerous weapon in a crowded place,” says Johar Ali.
“Just yesterday, I watched in horror as a little kid of 10 years old sped by on the bike, with his mother sitting on the back seat, giving pedestrians less than a foot of clearance. If any of the shoppers had changed direction or put one of their hands out, they would have been seriously hurt,” says Khurram Kazmi.
“When I asked his mother why you allowed your small son to drive bike, she simply replied: “That’s why I daily accompany him to the market to buy things and don’t permit him to go on the bike alone.
Maqbool Hussain says: “The other day an elderly lady carrying two bags of shopping walking to the market luckily managed to escape a fast driven bike by a kid. How it happened defeats my imagination. The slightest movement by her would have caused an accident.”
“Kids on the bikes is always scary and intimidating for people especially for the elderly who can't always hear them and they certainly can't be expected to move out of the way in time. The disabled are particularly vulnerable,” adds Maqbool.
“There are times when someone is chatting with friends on the mobile without realizing that someone is swinging a heavy metal object very fast and right behind him/her. I think kids riding bikes should be banned because they are capable of putting someone in hospital,” says Mehdi Abbas.
Nabeel Rizvi says: “If somebody doesn't realize that driving bikes by kids is dangerous, selfish, and illegal, perhaps he/she doesn't have a whole brain.”
Shahrukh Raza says: “These kids on the bike are a real nuisance where I live and it isn't too uncommon to a 12-14 years old riding the bike, for no other reason than to look cool. I just don't see the reason for this. Bikes are designed for kids, for goodness' sake! What next? Will we see children ride up to primary school on them?”
The root cause of lots of kids riding the bike needs to be addressed in this city. They are seen beetling along a street, can end up losing control and hitting somebody,” says Syed Zain Zaidi.