Dangerous lanes to travel in for motorcyclists

PETALING JAYA: Road fatalities can be reduced by some 30% if motorcyclists use lanes allotted to them, but they say they have reasons for not doing so.

According to motorcyclists, the lanes are unsafe and using them can endanger their lives.

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) said its studies showed that road fatalities could be reduced by 30% if motorcyclists are separated from the main road.

Miros director-general Dr Wong Shaw Voon added: “It is a known fact that motorcycles are one of the most dangerous modes of transportation. Motorcyclists are the most vulnerable on the road next to pedestrians and are subjected to the highest rate of accidents, of which 70% involves collisions with other vehicles like cars and buses.

“If they stick to their designated bike lanes, it would minimise the possibility of colliding with another vehicle.”

Dr Wong was responding to the spate of fatalities involving motorcyclists travelling out of their bike lanes along major highways.


Bikers’ woes: Motorcyclists are usually in a dilemma as most bike lanes are not safe.
There are 9,985,308 registered motorcycles in Malaysia as of 2011 according to the Road Transport Department.

Official statistics show that the number of motorcycle fatalities in 2011 was 4,169 a 12.54% increase from deaths involving motorcyclists in 2007.

Wong conceded that motorcyclists are usually in a dilemma as most bike lanes were not safe.

“Only a handful of highways here have dedicated motorcycle lanes. Some stretches are built to suit the geographical alignment of the highway rather than to be friendly to motorcyclists,” he said.

“Motorcyclists have complained to us about sharp bends in the lanes.”

He added: “Poor maintenance is another issue. Not much is invested into repairing potholes and other damage in bike lanes which makes motorcyclists not too keen to use them.”

Selangor traffic chief Deputy Supt Azmi Mansor said that motorcyclists were required to stick to their lanes at all times under Section 79(2) of the Road Transport Act, but authorities usually do not take action against those who do not do so due to several reasons.

“We understand that some of these bike lanes are not in good condition. Also there have been cases of motorcyclists being attacked and mugged while passing through unlit sections at night,” he said, urging the authorities to upgrade such lanes.

This post has been edited by grunge: May 28 2013, 01:20 PM