Our famous and not very own but Chinese motorcycle rickshaw. It came in vogue sometime during my medical school years. How can I say that? Because we started getting more road side accidents in our emergency! Anyways it came into Pakistani market somewhere in 2001 and since then it has spread like a plague to every nook and corner of the province of Punjab. All of a sudden in the ensuing 5 years the auto rickshaw has gone out of vogue and out of sight and it has been replaced by this thing that we call 'ching-chee'.
What is this thing? Well actually it is a hybrid of a bicycle rickshaw and a motorcycle. Or better put: it is a bicycle rickshaw with a motor. There is more passenger space than an ordinary bicycle rickshaw or an auto rickshaw. If you are in an under-developed city then the driver can very easily accommodate 11 people on one such monster. whether this is due to malnourished and sleek nature of the inhabitants of that city or some other reason remains to be studied. If you are in a developed city or a metropolitan than maybe 8 to 10 people are seated, minus the driver.
These relentless machines have no shock absorbers and neither do they have a rear wheel braking system. They can roll at a speed of about 40 to 50 kilometers per hour, depending on the load. Just like the auto rickshaw these things lack a silencer. They are all monotonously coloured in yellow and make gurgling sounds on the road.
With the advent of these new transporter machines the drivers have become more relentless in their driving. They move at high speeds and are more often than not causes of accidents on the roads of the province. Since the bodies of these machines are locally made and thus are mostly solid steel they hardly take a dent. These machines are very unbalanced too. Many a times they have been seen to turn turtle taking their load with them. Now in order to stabilize these things and move their centers of gravity below suspension the drivers overload them. This is a dangerous practice.
But the beautiful thing about these monsters is that they keep on running and running and running. An accident or two is no big deal. If the thing turns turtle no worries. All the passengers get up dust their clothes and collectively put the machine back on its wheel, get onto it and continue their journey. And so the business of the poor of the country continues without a break.
I saw an interesting thing just day before yesterday while I was going to the mosque. In the night the road by our house is not busy and has very little traffic. So it becomes the motorway of the Qinqxi drivers. Just that night the guys were having a 'Qinqxi Drag competition'. The road is wide enough to let two Qinqxis run side by side and they are either loaded with friends or are empty. The drag goes for a distance of 1 kilometer and at the end point the winner gets to take away not a girl but the next best thing to a girl _ money.
This is dangerous stuff. The machines are unbalanced and lack proper dynamics to take high speeds but then again the real thrill is in the danger that comes with such competitions. Were not for the fear of loss of life no one would take part in a drag. But I am patiently waiting for a news where this drag leads to a death of one or two drivers. Lets see if that will make them stop doing this. Till then go drag go!
What is this thing? Well actually it is a hybrid of a bicycle rickshaw and a motorcycle. Or better put: it is a bicycle rickshaw with a motor. There is more passenger space than an ordinary bicycle rickshaw or an auto rickshaw. If you are in an under-developed city then the driver can very easily accommodate 11 people on one such monster. whether this is due to malnourished and sleek nature of the inhabitants of that city or some other reason remains to be studied. If you are in a developed city or a metropolitan than maybe 8 to 10 people are seated, minus the driver.
These relentless machines have no shock absorbers and neither do they have a rear wheel braking system. They can roll at a speed of about 40 to 50 kilometers per hour, depending on the load. Just like the auto rickshaw these things lack a silencer. They are all monotonously coloured in yellow and make gurgling sounds on the road.
With the advent of these new transporter machines the drivers have become more relentless in their driving. They move at high speeds and are more often than not causes of accidents on the roads of the province. Since the bodies of these machines are locally made and thus are mostly solid steel they hardly take a dent. These machines are very unbalanced too. Many a times they have been seen to turn turtle taking their load with them. Now in order to stabilize these things and move their centers of gravity below suspension the drivers overload them. This is a dangerous practice.
But the beautiful thing about these monsters is that they keep on running and running and running. An accident or two is no big deal. If the thing turns turtle no worries. All the passengers get up dust their clothes and collectively put the machine back on its wheel, get onto it and continue their journey. And so the business of the poor of the country continues without a break.
I saw an interesting thing just day before yesterday while I was going to the mosque. In the night the road by our house is not busy and has very little traffic. So it becomes the motorway of the Qinqxi drivers. Just that night the guys were having a 'Qinqxi Drag competition'. The road is wide enough to let two Qinqxis run side by side and they are either loaded with friends or are empty. The drag goes for a distance of 1 kilometer and at the end point the winner gets to take away not a girl but the next best thing to a girl _ money.
This is dangerous stuff. The machines are unbalanced and lack proper dynamics to take high speeds but then again the real thrill is in the danger that comes with such competitions. Were not for the fear of loss of life no one would take part in a drag. But I am patiently waiting for a news where this drag leads to a death of one or two drivers. Lets see if that will make them stop doing this. Till then go drag go!
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