The Federal Highway bike lane is NOT safe, but an online survey by MIROS might change things soon.
THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY BIKE LANE IS NOT SAFE. Period.
The list of dangerous hazards that awaits our fellow bikers here is endless. From construction hazards, poor detour planning, narrow road width, sub-standard road works, standing water, poor tunnel lighting, debris, the Federal Highway bike lane really has it all.
Want proof? There are scores of videos posted online about it. One example, which also happens to be one of the earliest of such, is this 2013 video posted online by Facebook user Muhammad Azree.
Yes, it may be low quality footage shot (presumably) on an older smartphone, but it gave many local netizens the first glimpse of what the Federal Highway bike lane is like at its worst – right after a heavy thunderstorm.
More recently though comes this video posted by our friends at PaulTan.org back in June this year. Though shot in clear weather conditions and not during rush-hour traffic, you can very well see just how real the dangers are in this narrow route supposedly designed for all bike types – it really isn’t.
Want another example? Then have a look at this collaborative effort between two other friends of ours from i-moto.com.my and Autofreaks.com. This video, shot just weeks after PaulTan.org’s one, shows us that little has changed.
With that, we find ourselves wondering how can anyone, especially a minister, deem the Federal Highway bike lane “safe”?
Thankfully, there is still some hope. Since June this year, the Malaysian Institute Of Road Safety Research (MIROS) has started a simple online survey aimed at garnering satisfaction levels and factors that influence decisions for motorists in using bike lanes on major highway networks – the Federal Highway included.
Taking it at face value, we reckon this is a hugely positive first step by any local agency towards addressing the problems plaguing the Federal Highway bike lane and perhaps similar issues with bike lanes on other major local highway networks too.
With surveys as such, numbers really count, and we reckon all bikers should spend a few minutes to fill it out. MIROS’ survey is both simple and anonymous as it doesn’t record any names and NRIC numbers, just basic data such as age, sex, bike capacity and bike lane usage frequency.
Of course, change won’t happen overnight as it will take time. But as we’ve pointed out earlier, this is the first of such steps undertaken by any local agency, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
LINK: Miros Bike Lane Survey
Click the link above to fill out the survey form for yourself in the hopes that it may bring some well-needed changes soon.
