Tykes On Bikes

Earlier this year, Britney Spears got a lot of flak when she was spotted driving a car with her infant son in her lap. Come to India, Britney. You'll feel right at home. Not that I condone the behavior -- but after two years in India, the huge fuss that was made over this made me laugh. Had she been riding in India, no one would have looked twice. I've never seen any child in a car seat or booster seat; I doubt that any such thing exists here. Babies hanging off motorcycles and scooters, their heads and limbs flopping around, are a common sight on the roads of India. Most women ride sidesaddle, which in itself looks dicey to me. Watching a woman ride sidesaddle while clutching a baby with one arm is one of the things that mesmerizes me about India. Here, a collage from the roads of India.

     

     

 

  

      

Only once have I seen an accident involving a mother and child on a motorcycle. She was riding sidesaddle and holding an infant. The motorcycle was hit from the side by a car. I have no idea how she did it, but she managed to hold onto the baby even as they both went flying off the motorcycle. The motorcycle was damaged, but mother and child survived.

    

  

It's not just babies who ride in their mommies' laps.
This boy looked old enough to have a scooter of his own!

 

If mom is not riding sidesaddle, baby gets a standing view of the world.

Even better is a front-row seat.  I've seen infants who didn't look much older than a year perched on motorcycles this way.

 

   

The "scooter stand" is another popular option. It even fits two!

 

  

 

This is one of my favorite shots. This family was zooming by when they noticed me standing by the side of the road trying to get a picture. They slowed down so I could get my picture, waved, and zoomed off.

_________________________________________________________________

This is part 1 in a 5-part series:

Part 1: Tykes on Bikes
Part 2: Who Needs An SUV?
Part 3: Always Room For One More
Part 4: The Two-Wheeler Six-Pack
Part 5: Bicycle Built For Four

Comments

[Dale B.]

Yep, that's amazing.

[Clare]

How timely! I was just telling my son-in-law-to-be about this and I don't think he really believed me. Now I have photographic evidence! Thanks, Basia! (If only we had a picture of the 2 men and the 2 goats on a motorbike -- but my amazement got the best of me and I was unable to get the camera out, turned on and focused in time! Note to future India bound travellers: Have the camera at the ready at all times. You WILL see amazing things!)

[Jess]

Great pictures!! One thing Ben really wanted to get a picture of when he was there with you last month was the family of four on scooter--kid in front of dad with baby on mom's lap sidesaddle--but they were too fast for him!!

[Tom Stone]

Basia -- I assume the top speeds for these kind of cycles are lower than in the US? They aren't going 50-75 with the baby and mom side-saddle are they? Seems like a lot of stop-and-go, heavily congested traffic, from the photos. (Not saying it is safe, just wanting the full perspective.)

[Basia]

Tom: No, they are generally not going 50-75 mph - more like 30-40, maybe 45?

I deliberately picked a heavily congested area to take these pictures because that was the only way I could get good, unblurred photos. I have been trying for several years to get enough photographs to do this entry, either by catching pictures from the car, or walking down the street. But most of the time I just ended up with a lot of unfocused photographs because they would go by so fast.

So last weekend I went to the most congested place I could think of - Marina Beach, the main beach in Chennai - where on Sunday afternoon over a million people gather. I sat at the entrance to the parking lot and snapped the pictures just as cyclists were pulling into/out of the lot. Within about two hours, I had over 300 pictures of children on motorcycles. At the moment that most of these were taken, the cycles were moving very slowly. Once they exited the parking lot, they were going onto one of the main roads in Chennai. I'm really bad at estimating speeds, but I'm guessing traffic there moves at about 30-40 mph. It feels like about the same speed you would go on a medium-size road in Rochester, like BHTL Road, for example.

[Basia]

Jess: Then you will be especially interested in Parts 2 and 3 of this series - be sure to check out tomorrow's entry~

Clare: Glad I could provide evidence~

[Sharon from CT]

Oh my God! When I got my heart out of my throat, I realized they must have in innate sense of balance (and adventure?)...the kids look so happy and relaxed. I sometimes have trouble balancing just myself on a bike...non-motorized and going about 10 mph...oh dear...I can drive like a taxi in NYC with no problem, but I'd never make it in India on a motorbike! sharon

[Specky]

Oh yes, perfect. Having a family of four or more should not hinder you with respect to your choice of family transport. Little motorbikes are economical after all. Have you noticed that if anybody has a helmet on it is always dad. I work in India and see this every day. Absolutely fabulous. I’ve been looking for a ‘six’ myself but have failed so far. I’ll keep looking though.

[Subasri Narendran]

Hi, I was in EK, Chennai for a short time and I ‘d visited your blog some time ago.
These pictures are great!
The man who has to transport his 5 or 6 member family in his 100 cc bike might be more careful on the road. I am not so sure about the younger tyke who zips down the ECR on weekends, with a young lady plastered on to his jeans -shirted back!
If possible try clicking these macho type-techies and the ladies who seem to chatter non-stop . And I suspect the reason these young men wear a helmet is not to protect their skulls but because it seems less obvious compared to earplugs!:-)

They seem to exist in their own world , travel well above speed limits and I think their windswept hair and ultra-excited expressions look great, though the driving style could have you a little worried about their safety.

[Jeet]

Ah Basia... what a wonderful collection of photos! Though I'd like to wring the necks of the men with helmets on for their own protection, but had babies draped across the fuel tank... the logic escapes me... Jeet

[Jigna]

Awesome photos! Where did you manage to get so many of them? It's so true. You can find something like this only in India. Your blog is a great discovery from blogadda.com. Are you still in India? Have you made this country your home now?

[Basia]

Jigna: Most of the photos I got simply by parking myself on one corner near Marina Beach in Chennai, where a lot of families were driving up on a Sunday to spend the day at the beach. A couple of them were from Kerala, but the majority were from Chennai. It was pretty easy to get them -- there were hundreds of motorcyclists pouring in over a period of a couple hours.
Sadly, I'm no longer in India. I left in January and am back in New York now. Lots of things I miss about India, though...

[Core]

Picture 29 cracked me up. That kid looks like a chip off the old block. Hes got the same damned expression as his dad.

I'm impressed by what I see. Great pics.