A Common Sight

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Roads in Bangalore and much of India are jammed full of traffic 20 hours a day so most people own motorcycles. It's not unusual to see an entire family using a motorcycle to get around the city. The standard is usually a man driving with a woman on the back and a baby in the middle. Sometimes there's an older kid in the front. I've seen women balance on the back in a saree or holding an infant. Fortunately for them traffic never gets above 25 mph. I can't imagine holding an infant on a cycle at all let alone at high speeds.
It's also not unusual to see career men and women using motorcycles to get to and from work. Men in suits and ties riding motorcyles is pretty standard. What gets me is women in salwar kameez and fancy sandals riding motorcycles. It kind of reminds me of a girl riding a cycle in a prom dress or something.
Oh, and it's also not unusual for motorcycles to use the sidewalk to bypass traffic and they don't consider the sidewalk for pedestrians so you had better get out of their way. Keep in mind they are usually going about the same speed as pedestrians so if you get hit by one you're more likely to get your pants dirty on the tires than suffer a dangerous injury.

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Photos

Woman on Motorcycle at Petrol Station
It's a blurry picture but you get the idea.

Comments

[Kat]

Civilization?
Stories like that make me appreciate living in a "more civilized" place. I guess it's a bit subjective, but come on - we don't even let babies ride inside a car without a special contraption to keep them safe. I'm not saying that Indians are bad people or anything - they probably don't have a whole lot of options. I'm just saying that there are some things to appreciate about America. Not the least of which is cheese - as you are painfully aware. I appreicate car seats, sidewalks for pedestrians, cheese, toilet paper, and a whole lot of other stuff that I'm sure is more important.

[SeriouslyNoWay]

Well, Civilized I'm not so sure
I wish India had more cheese and softer TP and especially child labor laws but the US could do with a dose or two of work ethic and and less PC bullcrap. But hey, we all have our differences. I have to say, I think India is one of the safest countries to visit (You heard me Mexico with all your drug violence)