Can 100 000 Daily Motorcyclists Squeeze Into The Federal Highway Bike Lanes

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Finally, a top traffic cop has confronted the uncomfortable fact that Malaysia’s dedicated motorcycle lanes are not as attractive or safe as when the original 16km stretch from Kuala Lumpur to the Subang International Airport junction was first opened in the early 1970s and expanded in 1992.
As much as traffic laws make it compulsory for bikers to use dedicated motorcycle lanes wherever they are provided along highways, Bukit Aman traffic investigation and enforcement department director Yusri Hassan Basri conceded that infrastructural factors deter many from using the dedicated lanes.
Welcoming transport minister Loke Siew Fook’s reminder last Thursday that it is compulsory for motorcyclists to use dedicated motorcycle lanes, Yusri said that while the police do enforce the law, his department is also aware that road conditions could be better.
He said highway concessionaires must ensure that motorcycle lanes are properly maintained to attract motorcyclists, according to The Star.
For context, it must be noted that the Federal Highway’s motorcycle lanes were last upgraded between 2020 and 2021. The upgrades included resurfacing, improved drainage of flood-prone underpasses and the painting of a median line.
What Yusri was speaking was the sad truth, in a polite manner.
Let’s focus on the motorcycle lane along the Federal Highway, by far the busiest traffic artery in Malaysia, with an estimated 100,000 motorcyclists plying the route every day.
Motorcycle lanes have been shown to reduce crashes and fatalities by over 25%. Given this, we can estimate the number of lives saved by the infrastructure, which was extended from the Subang Airport junction to Shah Alam and Klang by PLUS in the 1990s.
There are 12 million motorcycles registered in Malaysia, with 60 per cent running in and around the Klang Valley, and especially along the Federal Highway.
Many of us who drive along this route have noticed how many of these motorcyclists often detour out of the motorcycle lane and into the car section.
Of these, the majority stick to the left side of the road. But there is, of course, a minority, of the “daredevil” disposition, who are out there in the middle of the highway, lane splitting (riding between lines of traffic), and overtaking.
They are doing so because the five agencies responsible for planning, constructing, and maintaining motorcycle lanes seem to have overlooked a crucial fact: the number of motorcycles has tripled since the 2.5–3.5m wide lanes were first constructed.
Unfortunately, the carrying capacity has not increased in proportion to the rise in the number of motorcycles.
The agencies I have referred to are as follows:
The transport ministry: formulator of national transport policies, including those related to road safety and infrastructure development. This obviously includes policies that pertain to motorcycle safety and can influence the planning of dedicated motorcycle lanes.The public works department (JKR): responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of public infrastructure, including dedicated motorcycle lanes.The road transport department (JPJ), which comes under the transport ministry, and is entrusted with the enforcement of traffic laws and the implementation of motorcycle lanes.State and local governments, including the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA), which manage urban planning and road maintenance in cities and towns. They can initiate plans for dedicated motorcycle lanes in their jurisdictions and work with federal agencies for approvals and funding.The land public transport agency (APAD): involved in enhancing public transport infrastructure, and which collaborates with local governments to integrate dedicated motorcycle lanes with broader public transport strategies and facilities.There is also the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros): a pioneer in road safety research under its founder, the late Radin Umar RS, but which seems to have a new, car-focussed agenda.
And if one counts the Malaysia Highway Authority (LLM), there are seven agencies involved.
Do these agencies think that the estimated 100,000 motorcyclists presently using the Federal Highway daily can squeeze themselves into lanes built for 20,000 motorcyclists three decades ago?
One solution is to allow motorcyclists who ride the bigger machines onto the slow lane of the Federal Highway, and for lane splitting and riding on the outer lanes to be disallowed.
For more information, I recommend a reading of some seminal work on the subject.
Preliminary analysis of exclusive motorcycle lanes along the Federal Highway, F02, Shah Alam Malaysia, by the late Prof Radin Umar RS, Murray MacKay and Brian L. Hills; published by the Overseas Centre, Transport Research Laboratory, Crowthorne Berkshire, UK;Motorcycle Lane Use and Safety in Southeast Asia: A Case Study of Indonesia; authors P. Nasution, R. T. S. Hudiarto, published in Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, 2020;Impact of Motorcycle Lanes on Traffic Safety: Evidence from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; authors: L. T. Nguyen, H. M. Pham; published in Asian Journal of Transportation Studies, 2019;Evaluating the Safety Benefits of Motorbike Lanes in Thailand: A Pilot Study in Bangkok; Authors: S. Chaikledkaew, T. Khemasiri, published in Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2021 -FMT
Yamin Vong, a regular motorcyclist, often feels intimidated when using the dedicated motorcycle lane along the Federal Highway. He shares his insights on mobility on his Facebook page, yamin.com.my
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

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