That motorcycles are not the safest form of transportation is undeniable, but the question is, should motorcyclists be penalised for being the road users who are most vulnerable to accidents or deaths?
Can more be done before the authorities show their tough love to motorcyclists?
Thousands have lauded the move by the Brotherhood watch group to install motion-sensor LED lights in a motorcycle lane tunnel near Batu Tiga.
Brotherhood founder Azlan Sani Zawawi, or Lando Zawawi, said unlit tunnels on the Federal Highway motorcycle lanes are dangerous and a real concern among motorcyclists.
Dubbed The Brotherhood LED-Motion sensor-solar lighting system (LEMSS), the system uses available technologies like LED lights, solar panels and motion sensors to provide much needed lights in the tunnel.
Once the motion sensors detect a motorcycle approaching the tunnel, the lights will be switched on and if no movements are detected after a pre-set period, the lights will automatically switch off.
More amazingly, Azlan said the system costs only RM300, the same amount motorists pay for traffic summonses.
If a small group like Brotherhood can think of ways and spring into action to help motorcyclists, the authorities should be able to do more as they have more manpower and resources.
Netizens lauded the initiative and thanked Azlan for acting on a long-running concern among motorcyclists who ply the Federal highway for their daily commute.
Many people shared the news article about LEMSS and some questioned why such basic needs for the motorcycle lane had to wait for private citizen action to come to fruition.
Judging by the comments on social media, lighting at the 18 tunnels along the motorcycle lane of the Federal Highway is not the only concern of motorcyclists. Some of the problems they had encountered were downright life-threatening.
A large number of motorcyclists highlighted the dangers they face in using the motorcycle lane.
“I consider the occasional RM300 summons a small price to keep myself safe from the risk of being robbed,” said a motorcyclist when commenting on Facebook about why he refused to use the motorcycle lane on some stretches of the Federal Highway.
He alleged there were numerous cases of robberies there and some were committed in broad daylight.
“A friend was robbed at knife-point at 10am. The robbers took his wallet and mobile phone, locked his bike and sped off with the keys,” said another motorcyclist.
In a police operation in Shah Alam on May 30, some 225 motorcycles were caught not using the motorcycle lane. Luckily, the riders were not given tickets for the offence as it was just an advocacy campaign as part of Op Selamat 15.
The police highlighted the dangers that motorcyclists face by not using the motorcycle lane.
Indeed, it appears both the authorities and motorcyclists are concerned about the same thing; their safety. However, it is absurd when the motorcycle lane advocated by the authorities as the best option for motorcyclists is, according to the users, full of life-threatening dangers.
Robbers in unlit tunnels, deep potholes, sharp corners, flooded road and tunnels, large debris are among the dangers often listed by the motorcyclists. They opined that it was unfair to force them to use the unsafe lanes.
“I choose to face the police officer and accept whatever summons rather than the robber bent on slitting my throat,” said a friend of mine.
To be fair, statistics showed that motorcyclists account for the majority of deaths in road accidents.
According to PLUS, 14 of the 20 deaths that occurred on PLUS expressways during Op Selamat 15 involved motorcyclists.
It is not difficult to see why the smallest vehicles on the road are the biggest contributors to road deaths as they are more likely to suffer fatal injuries.
Malaysian Road Safety Council member Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said that a study by the Malaysian Road Safety Research Institute showed that the small underbone motorcycles, or kapchais, are not safe to be used for long-distance travel.
Granted, there are those who blatantly break the law but for the majority of motorcyclists in Malaysia, the motorbike is the only mode of transport they can afford.
The authorities should go after the law-breakers but first they must ensure that motorcyclists are not penalised for making the best of what life throws at them.
Perhaps the authorities can rope in motorbike clubs to give suggestions on how to make motorcycle lanes more user-friendly and safe.
Small kiosks providing emergency repairs at certain points along the lane would be a good start. If motorbike clubs and societies like the Brotherhood are given the job to man the kiosks then it can be a win-win situation for all.
Whatever it is, everyone should work for an all-inclusive solution so that motorcyclists will see the light at the beginning and end of the tunnel, figuratively and literally.
We should not continue making them choose between the perils of poorly maintained infrastructure and the dangers of travelling with bigger vehicles on the highways.
The writer is an independent journalist based in Terengganu