Heavy bikes granted entry to M-2 motorway

One-time pass given on court orders while they had to meet other stringent requirements

ISLAMABAD: In view of court orders, the National Highways and Motorway Police (NH&MP) on Sunday notified a schedule and criteria to grant heavy bikes a one-time entry on the M-2 motorway which connects Lahore with Islamabad.

The permission had been granted with the condition that bikers intending to ride on the motorway submit their club membership and other documents while identifying the shifts in which they will ride on the motorway to assist the NH&MP officials to inspect the bikes and riders.

Earlier, the court had allowed bikes with an engine power of more than 600 cc to ride on the motorway. The entry on the route was only permitted from two points, including the Main Toll Plaza in Islamabad and the Ravi Toll Plaza in Lahore. Bikers were not allowed entry or exit through any other interchange.

To assist the bikers, two reporting centres were to be set up, one each at both toll plazas, with NHMP officials and members of the bikers club, to record the particulars of motorbike riders and to inspect their documents. Bikes were also physically inspected by NHMP officials to ensure they matched road safety regulations.

The conditions bikers had to fulfil to gain entry to the motorway were to have Antilock Braking System (ABS) and side-view mirrors. Other conditions, identified by the NHMP, were valid driving licences, motorbike registration documents and a membership card of the biker club.

Any biker below 35-years-of-age was also denied entry.

Subject to restrictions imposed on various sections of motorway, bikers were restricted to a maximum speed limit of 120 kilometres per hour.

Curiously, the NHMP did not allow racer and sports bikes to be a part of convoys whereas group travel bikes had been restricted to not more than four bikes at a time.

The bikers were further directed to install visible reflectors on the tail of their rear mudguard whereas parallel and pillion riding was also prohibited.

Earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had issued the orders to allow bikes of 600cc or more to run on the motorway. However, the matter had been pending before the court ruled on the matter earlier this month.

The counsel of the petitioner, Shuja Sharif and Rashid Toosy of the Lahore Bikers Club., had maintained that there was no restriction on the entry of bikes on motorways and highways as per Motorway Ordinance 2000.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2019.