Bikesrepublic

Klang Valley

A local transport expert wants the Malaysian government to reconsider reallowing motorcycle e-hailing services to operate in the country to reduce traffic congestion. 

  • Klang Valley recorded a spike in traffic congestion during the month of Hari Raya.
  • motorcycle e-hailing services is seemed as a way to help reduce traffic jams in major cities. 

Due to the recent spike in traffic congestion in Klang Valley, a transport expert has suggested that the government should reconsider introducing motorcycle e-hailing services.

Transport expert Rosli Azad Khan said that neighboring countries like Indonesia and Thailand have successfully rolled out such services, yet Malaysia seemed hesitant to allow it.

“Motorcycle e-hailing services are not allowed here due to safety issues. They have been done safely in Indonesia and Thailand, but I don’t know why it’s not being introduced in Malaysia,” he said.

Last November, Deputy transport minister Henry Sum Agong confirmed that the government has no plans to introduce motorcycle e-hailing services due to the high road accidents involving motorcyclists.

However, Rosli suggests that proper screening could be done before hiring riders, and such services should also provide insurance cover for passengers.

He said that GPS tracking should also be applied to keep tabs on the riders. – FMT

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) is currently working on a proposal to reduce the speed limit around Klang Valley.

The proposal – will be presented to DBKL next month – is to reduce the current speed limit of 50km/h to just 30km/h in certain areas.

The matter was confirmed by Deputy Federal Territory Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias.

“Data collection and analysis will be carried out, and if it is agreed, it will be implemented in September this year.

“The areas involved in this MIROS study are areas with speed limits of 60 km/h and 40 km/h.

“Meanwhile, roads that have been gazetted with 70 km/h and 80 km/h speed limits are not included in the study,” he told the Dewan Negara on Monday, responding to a question from Senator Datuk Mohd Hisamudin Yamaha.

According to Jalaluddin, DBKL also shared the same view that reducing the speed limit would also improve other road users’ safety, including cyclists and pedestrians.

The proposal is currently in line with other major cities such as Paris, which implemented the speed limit back in August 2021.

Although the move is seen as beneficial to road users, it might have different implications for motorcyclists who are in and out of the city centre daily.

Trying to keep the speed at just 30km/h will be a struggle, especially when riding between other vehicles. 

Archive

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on YouTube