KUALA LUMPUR: The move by Kuala Lumpur City Hall to open bicycle lanes from the city centre to the suburbs as part of an integrated cycling lane received mixed reactions from Malaysians.
An online poll by the New Straits Times, which opened on Saturday and ended yesterday evening, saw a neck-and-neck result, with more than 2,000 respondents sharing their views on the move.
Out of the 2,000, almost 50.1 per cent disagreed with the move, with many commenting that the pedestrian walkways should be made convenient and safe first before opening a bicycle lane.
Many responders said apart from Malaysian weather and traffic being unsuitable for bicycles, the current road width was designed to fit a specific number of cars, and an additional lane could cause traffic congestion.
Among those who disagreed with the move was Belteshazzar Abdul Rashid, who wrote: “The original width of the roads is designed to fit two or three cars. When you add a bicycle lane, it makes the lanes narrower and therefore more dangerous. People will also drive slower, leading to traffic congestion.
“Secondly, the weather in Kuala Lumpur is not suitable for cycling.
“Especially when the trees were cut down. It became even hotter, making cycling a bad idea. So in short, no,” he said.
Echoing him was Azfars Mototowing, who suggested that the current pedestrian pavement be upgraded so that it could be shared with cyclists.
“If City Hall makes a bicycle lane on the main road, it’s just going to make it narrower for cars and motorcycles,” he said.
Marvin Yee also disagreed with City Hall’s move, saying: “With the standard of driving in Malaysia, not advisable. Many cyclists will get hurt real bad.”
Azwan Zainal Adnan commented that the existing bicycle lanes in Kuala Lumpur had been abused by motorcyclists, posing a danger to pedestrians and tourists in the city centre.
“Don’t waste public funds in building something that will be abused and cause danger to other road user,” he said.
Gursharan Singh shared Azwan’s sentiments, saying the cycling lanes would eventually be used by motorists or motorcyclist due to poor law enforcement.
“Just look at the bus lane in Jalan Syed Putra, which is disregarded most of the time by motorists. Cyclists may not be able to use the dedicated lane in all probability as it would be used by other motorists.
“This would be a waste of public funds if no enforcement is carried out,” he said.
The first bicycle lane bridging a major residential area and the city centre is expected to be up and running in about a year.
It will be laid out on the reserves of Sungai Bunus, stretching 4km between a pocket park next to the Wangsa Maju LRT station, and Jalan Raja Abdullah in Kampung Baru, before feeding into the blue lane near KLCC.
The lane is expected to serve thousands of residents in neighbourhoods within a few kilometres of the catchment area.
City Hall is expected to break ground on the project next month before bridging other residential areas and the city’s cycling network.