I recently watched a viral video on social media showing a bike owner renting out his bike and giving a few basic tips to young tourists on how to ride it. With quick instructions, an easy-to-ride bike, and weak enforcement by traffic police personnel, it has become far too easy for such unsafe riders to use our Goan roads. This often leads to accidents, and many cases are quietly settled with cash by locals and even police officers.
In the name of tourism, the rent-a-bike system is helping people earn a day’s income but at the cost of traffic violations and accidents. This seems to have become the government’s new way of covering up its poor performance in improving public transport, especially its failure to fully implement an app-based taxi system in the State.
App taxis would help both tourists and locals avoid such violations and accidents, and perhaps even give the PWD time to repair the roads. The Government must instruct the Traffic Police and rent-a-bike owners to strictly follow and enforce the rules.
