Sittwe police show leniency toward motorbike ‘sidecars’

By Min Tun 30 Jan 2020

Min Tun | DMG
January 30, Sittwe
 
Sittwe’s Traffic Police Force has confirmed that it is offering leniency to motorcycles with unregistered passenger carriages, which have been allowed to ply certain roads with authorities’ understanding in parts of the Arakan State capital.
 
Deputy police officer Nay Linn from the Traffic Police Force in Sittwe said that those augmented motorbikes were only being allowed on some roads, such as the state capital’s “Lanma gyi” (main road), around the Zaygyi (Sittwe market), and along the May Yu and Kannar (Strand) roads.
 
“If they don’t follow the rules, we will take action against them, but most of them follow the rules. They are afraid of being caught by us. They just drive around the market,” Nay Linn said.

A fine is set at K30,000 (US$20) for drivers who break the rules.
 
According to the Road Transport Administration Department, motorcycles with passenger carriages affixed cannot be properly registered because they were not produced in industrial zones.
 
Motorcycle driver U Aung Khaing Soe said that he constantly worries because his vehicle is unregistered.
 
“We aren’t allowed to go along the main road. We have to use backroads. That is really difficult for us because sometimes passengers force us to use main roads even though we explain to them that we cannot go there,” he said.
 
According to locals, motorcycles with passenger carriages — also known as “sidecars” — began appearing in Arakan State in 2016, and their ranks have increased steadily in several townships, including Sittwe, Thandwe, Myebon, Mrauk-U and Minbya.
 
It costs between K200,000 (US$133) and K300,000 (US$200) to install a passenger carriage on a motorcycle.