Beware the byky menace...

Ahhh...February in Abu Dhabi. Since mid-November, the temperatures have fallen steadily to livable levels. The cool morning air lingers and longer as 'winter' progresses until the whole day is sunny and breezy, ideal for being outside.

But this winter has brought a menace to Abu Dhabi, along with the clear skies and perfect beach days. They appeared suddenly on the Corniche, Abu Dhabi's main promenade along the Gulf. It seemed to happen over night, though it surely must have been more gradual than that. One day the Corniche was a pristine walking path, large enough for two families, complete with strollers, to walk side by side, with room for a vanguard of mid-sized kids running out in front and a collection of grandmothers gossiping in the rear. The next it was infested with vehicles that swooped around at ankle level, piloted by a population who should never be behind any type of wheel. They competed with the vanguard, threatened the strollers and sent the grandmothers running for cover (not to mention K and me).

What were these pests of the promenade?

Bykys. A cross between a bike and a pedal-yourself go-cart with the lines of a small motor scooter and the manueverability of a large ox.

I'm not even sure how the word is supposed to be pronounced (I'm going with bike-ee), but bykys are the latest trend to hit Abu Dhabi, and they've brought out the curmudgeon in me. Nowadays, a pleasant stroll along the Corniche has, at some hours, turned into an obstacle course. Bykys come in three sizes, heaven help us, and each size offers its own particular menace.
There is the family size--the Cadillac of bykys, if you will. Usually pedaled and piloted by Dad, it is weighed down by Mom and the kids, resulting in significant momentum, but limited steering capacity. You can usually hear them coming, though it's best to get out of the way before Dad realizes the path isn't big enough to steer around you and the fleet of two-seater bykys fast approaching in the opposite direction. (I found this picture on Google, but it is a picture of a Cadillac byky right on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi! Note how much of the wide promenade is takes up. Note also the two-seater in the background...)

Speaking of the two-seater, this model is favored by anyone who has sports car fantasies (boys). It has much better manueverability, which is completely offset by the lack of judgment of those behind the wheel. It also comes in a one-seater model (pictured above). Run like the wind...

Finally, there is the mini byky, a tricycle alternative for the under five set. Fast, sleek, so much cooler than a Big Wheel, parents stand in line for hours to rent one for their future Formula One driver. Thus encouraged, the kids really go for it, chasing the two-seaters and trailing along after the family mobiles. Anywhere else, it'd be a lawsuit waiting to happen.

None of the bykys seem to come with brakes in any meaningful sense of that word, which implies the ability to stop at will, suddenly if necessary. Instead, the Corniche has become a trail of dodges, swerves and close calls. As K and I dash to the railing on one side or step into the narrow bike path (not big enough for the bykys) to avoid the Mario Andrettis of the Emirates, we wonder, quite seriously, how long it will be before a Cadillac rams a mini with tragic consequences. Or do we have over protective Western eyes that whince at the lack of helmets, safety padding and adult supervision?

Only time will tell...until then, we're walking well away from the bykys.

Perhaps this byky training course is the answer...