Jill Dale Rodrigues
Kudos to Herald for covering up a crucial debatable topic on the “Harassment meted out to tourists” (24 September 2016) who claim to be innocently halted/stopped by the traffic police even after having the required bike documents and wearing a helmet.
Sadly, as a resident living in Goa, I do not call it harassment, but a duty that is well carried out correctly by the traffic police. Living in Calangute, we see a huge trail of bikers who are mostly tourists, do not know road etiquette’s on how to ride.
Firstly, its an open road for them, the thrill of getting a freeway is enough for them to think that they can speed up and scream while doing the same!
Secondly, certain couples who come on either holiday or their honeymoon, the men try training the ladies how to ride a bike on the main roads meant for traffic! Some sit across facing the traffic and they shoot their adventure with the mobile stick, is that not risky enough?
Thirdly the tourists are often seen with beer bottles with the pillion riders and after a bottoms up happily throw the bottles on the road adding to the garbage woes.
Our Goa traffic police do not harass, they give you a stern look and if you misbehave with them, they need to act on it. With reference to Goans not being harassed like in Belgaum or other States is because we do not indulge in the above mentioned nuisances! I have been halted by the traffic police riding the bike or car and my experience was certainly not bad.
Before you blame the Goa traffic police, you need to appreciate that indeed they are doing their work. And to remind all of us, when the helmet rule hit the roads earlier this year nobody was spared whether Goan or non-Goan. Thus before you blame our Goan traffic police…think not just of the handful problems the handful tourists face but the many problems they do while holidaying in Goa. Drunken riding, screaming on roads, racing, no proper sitting while on bike and throwing away of bottles on the roads.
Most of the tourists are budgeted, short holiday which equals to low cost rooms, low cost breakfast and just a bike to zoom and cover the entire of Goa in a day and sometimes they are also seen shunting places with their suitcases on their hired bikes! Before you blame our men-in-uniform, think twice.
