CYCLING should be recognised legally as another mode of public transport, cyclist Akmal Azhar Abdul Mutalib said.

He said regulating cyclists is not the answer to better road safety and instead, transport policies need to ensure that vehicles respect those on bicycles.

On the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research’s (Miros) recent proposal that cyclists and bicycles be required to have licences and number plates, just like vehicles, Akmal said most cyclists would reject this.

“Cycling and the use of bicycles on the road should be given serious consideration.

“After 30 to 40 years of prioritising cars on the road, we need a public transport policy that is inclusive of those without cars,” he said in response to Miros director-general Khairul Anwar Abu Kassim’s call for bicycles to have number plates and riders to acquire licences.

Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong, however, said last night the ministry has no plans to regulate bicycles. However, Wee said safety programmes for cyclists have been discussed and updated at Road Safety Council meetings. 

Wee had said road cyclists are still bound by traffic rules under the Road Transport Act 1967.

Despite this, Akmal said the government still holds a narrow view of bicycles, thinking of them as only for use in sports.

“Right now, almost all cycling associations focus on cycling as a sport, and do not represent cyclists who use it as a form of transport.

“They are obsessed about winning in sports, on how many medals can be won in the Olympics.

“Some cyclists have tried to register with these organisations but were told that they are sports clubs under the Youth and Sports Ministry, instead of an organisation under the Registrar of Societies.”

Akmal also called on road users to respect cyclists and share the road with them.

For example, he said motorists should not drive their vehicles on lanes designated lanes for cyclists.

“Cyclists need to learn to respect other road users and other road users also need to be aware that there are cyclists on the road,” he said.

He cited the 11km bicycle “blue lane” installed by Kuala Lumpur City Hall around the city centre in 2018, which cost RM4 million to build but did not fulfil its purpose due to shortcomings and lack of thought in its implementation.

These, he said, included there being no cycling lane or walkway from areas outside the city connect to the blue lane, making it difficult to access.

Besides this lack of connectivity, many motorists do not heed the blue lane and drive over it.

As such, the lane is not widely used by cyclists, said Akmal.

“When there is no proper infrastructure, of course, cyclists will prefer to use the same road as other vehicles to connect from one place to another,” he said.

Cyclists said using bicycles as a mode of transport has risen in popularity in the Klang Valley, in line with the trend in major cities around the world as a way to improve health and beat congestion on the roads. – September 17, 2020.