BIKERS FROM HELL: MOTORCYCLE NOISE BECOMES LARGELY UNWELCOME PART OF YEREVAN SOUNDS
SOCIETY | 17.09.14 | 09:58
Photolure
GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Loud noise from vehicle honking and music late at night in Yerevan
lately has also been accompanied by the noisy sounds of motorcycles
which, especially during hot summer days, enter people’s homes from
open windows, disturbing citizens’ peace.
Motorcyclists were not a frequent sight in the streets of the Armenian
capital before, but in recent years their presence has been more and
more established. The riders of mostly expensive and powerful bikes
prefer making the most of their machines as they won’t take their
feet off the accelerator pedals, annoyed citizens complain.
Apart from being dangerous for pedestrians and other motorists, the
bikers make a hell of a noise in the capital’s streets, drawing a lot
of curses from people hoping to spend a quiet night in the comfort
of their homes.
“Late at night when everyone is asleep there seems to be a horrible
army of them passing by chaotically, even children wake up terrified
from that noise,” complains Gayane Simonyan, a 34-year-old resident
from Bagratunyats Avenue in Yerevan. She says last summer was
particularly noisy in terms of bikers.
Smbat Sukiasyan, a taxi driver in Yerevan, is also worried about the
appearance of so many motorcyclists that he says are often ignorant
about traffic rules and are an accident waiting to happen.
“Many are not skilled in riding, but when they see a bike, they want
to ride it immediately, at very high speed, breaking traffic rules.
They are a real nuisance,” the 40-year-old taxi driver says.
Photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan, who is known for his reporting on
road accidents and their causes, tells ArmeniaNow that he has seen both
disciplined and poor motorcyclists in Armenia while covering accidents.
“There are some who ‘wake up’ after midnight, like bats, to disturb
people’s tranquility, especially in downtown Yerevan. These apologies
of motorcyclists are also responsible for a lot of accidents. Often
they ride their motorcycles without driving licenses, without helmets,
just to show off with their bikes, but there are also some who are
not after such things and ride properly,” the photojournalist says.
Only during the first ten days of September, according to the Armenian
Police’s official website, motorcyclists were involved in two of
the several dozen traffic accidents reported for the period. Another
two accidents with the involvement of motorcyclists were reported in
August, when one rider was killed. Four similar road accidents were
reported in July.
Shant Kirakosyan, 23, says he has a four-year experience in riding
a motorcycle. He says it is not that easy to be a motorcyclist in
Yerevan. For his part, he blames the car drivers for being inattentive
to them.
“They [car drivers] do not use their rear-view and side-view mirrors,
they do not expect there to be a motorcyclist. But bikes are becoming
more and more frequent sights on the roads, so perhaps they will
gradually learn it,” says Kirakosyan, adding that even though he
also drives a car, he also likes his motorbike that he learned to
ride from his father.
The biker rights movement that originated in Great Britain entered
Armenia in the late 1990s and today there are already a few groups
of bikers with their various gathering spots.
Gagik Mkhitaryan, 35, has seven years’ bike riding experience. He
tells ArmeniaNow that years ago when he first started to learn how to
ride a motorbike various trainings and events were organized, whereas
today riding a motorcycle is mostly an act of showing off for many.
Mkhitaryan says not all can afford to buy a motorbike in Armenia as
prices for them may range from $2,000 to $50,000.
“For instance, a good motorbike made in 2007-2008 could cost you
$7,000. We should remember that a good motorbike is more expensive than
a good car, and now, despite the price, more and more motorcyclists
appear in the streets, as after getting a good car people also decide
to have a good motorbike, just for showing off, without experience,
and thus accidents happen,” Mkhitaryan says, adding that Yerevan is
not at all convenient for riding a motorbike and that for the reason
he has not much ridden his motorbike recently.
“Nobody respects motorcyclists. There are also poor riders, but
responsible riders suffer as a result. And so, despite my favorite
hobby, I now prefer driving a car.”