Racing gets back on Kochi streets

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The Kochi police may have swung into action for a day or two to catch bikers who race through the city roads, making traffic go haywire.

However, as the police was busy grappling with crimes aplenty, no one paid attention to the bikers who have now come back with a bang.

The public is not happy about their vrooming through pocket roads of the city creating panic and causing general disturbance.

Race-crazy youngsters have now formed a fraternity based at the Goshree-Chathiath Road to organize regular races through the city roads, say sources.

These races are being organized just as they are done in the popular PC-game ‘Need For Speed’.

The racers follow a specific route and thus race through the busy city traffic to win points and bounties for finishing first and also for evading the police radar.

The races are held mostly on Sundays with the beginning of the Goshree-Chathiath Road as the starting point.

The Kochi central police recently arrested several bikers and charged them with traffic violations. The police also seized the bikes of the Bullet Club that had held a rally through the city.

“It seems the bikers had disappeared for a while following the police action. However, they are back on the streets now, mostly on Sundays.

The races pose a grave threat to the public, and it has to be curbed”, says Ramesh Venugopal, an employee in a shopping mall.

With the bikers back on the roads, people can now expect to see not only motorists zipping past them, but also get deafened by the ensuing decibel.

The threat of accidents also cannot be ruled out. High-speed bikes on Kochi’s potholed roads are a sure recipe for mishaps, sources say.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Gopalakrishna Pillai told Deccan Chronicle that the issue would be dealt with immediately. “The bike races are a serious threat. We will take necessary action soon”, he said.