Two-wheelers make their way to Jordan's streets amid virus crisis

AMMAN — The Kingdom has witnessed a spike in the number of two-wheelers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a representative of the motorcycling community.

“About 5,000 people have applied for motorcycle licences since the beginning of the pandemic,” founder of the “Bidna Iyak” initiative Mohammad Zarka told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday.

Recently, four new female motorcyclists have joined the Bidna Iyak initiative, taking the number of women members to 10.

Zarka attributed the reason behind the pandemic-powered surge in the number of two-wheelers to their flexibility, reliability and affordability amid the adverse economic conditions. 

He noted that many eateries and food delivery applications, and freelance drivers rely heavily on two-wheelers.

The Bidna Iyak initiative aims to promote road safety awareness, support the Kingdom’s motorcycling community, in addition to encouraging other road users to take care and look out for motorcyclists. The campaign also aims to advocate for a safer riding environment, he added.

“During the pandemic, we have communicated safety messages, and canvassed bikers’ views and ideas through social media platforms, in addition to working and interacting virtually with them,” Zarka said.

Due to the current crisis there are no formal or informal gatherings for bikers, Zarka said.

 The initiative promotes 12 campaigns. This month’s campaign is titled “Your Safety Matters to Us”, he said.

A new safety campaign was also launched in cooperation with the “Jordan Biker” team. “The reason behind launching this campaign is what happened earlier at the panorama location overlooking the Dead Sea,” according to Zarka, who noted incidents of reckless driving by motorcyclists and drivers of other vehicles, emphasising the fact that many of them were not wearing helmets and protective gear.

“The common perception is that motorcyclists are reckless people, but that is not true. In reality what we aim to achieve is to show people that riding motorcycles is fun,” he said.