Lane crying for maintenance

CYCLING has become one of the goto endurance sports for Malaysians. Its popularity is at an alltime high as seen in the number of specialised cycling shops and events throughout the country.

I started cycling in mid2013 and have seen its popularity explode. Back then, the housing area where I live did not have many cyclists. These days, though, there are many who can be seen zipping along the neighbourhood streets every morning.

There have been efforts among the cycling community to integrate cycling into their daily lives, with some riding their bicycle to work.

There have also been some positive moves by the authorities who are sponsoring/organising events and building facilities to accommodate cyclists. Some private entities have also chipped in to provide facilities such as bicycle parking spaces and cycling lanes in residential areas.

In 2015, the Government announced the opening of an official cycling lane linking Mid Valley Megamall and Dataran Pahlawan. The announcement created excitement among the cycling community, especially those who planned to use the route as a daily commute.

Together with the KL No Car Day, it was a boost for the cycling community in the Klang Valley.

I have been on this cycling lane twice and, to be frank, I think it is not as I expected. I’ve seen videos and photos of the lane after it was opened but when I went on it for the first time early this year, I found it in a sad state.

The first time I was there, the bollards placed at the entrance (Mid Valley) to deter motorcyclists from entering the lane were all there but some were missing during my second visit.

I must say the first kilometre was good although there were weeds and fallen trees that posed an obstacle for me. But into the second kilometre, the path became ridiculous. It joined a normal road and passed through an apartment complex. Cars were parked along the road and the supposed cycling path was only painted in patches of blue. Although this was just a short transfer to the next dedicated cycling path, it was a nuisance.

Going further, I came upon some construction work and then a sharp turn which did not have any warning sign apart from a mirror. Then the lane became narrower, which was okay if the path was made to accommodate oneway traffic. Unfortunately, it was not. Further on, the lane was littered with construction materials and I had to dismount and push my bicycle because some pipes had been left on the way.

When I reached Central Market, I saw the lane there was littered with fallen trees, wet leaves and potholes. It was more suited for a cross cycling enthusiast with a good mountain bike or a Cyclo Cross bike but not for the regular cyclist.

The second time around, which was six months later, I thought the cycling lane would have been improved but it had become worse. There were many overgrown plants at the side of the lane which not only was a nuisance but was also hazardous obstacles to cyclists. Unless you can bunny hop (hopping with the bicycle) adeptly, you will have to get off your bicycle and carry it around. Wet leaves also covered the path. If it had rained heavily in the past few days, it would be acceptable but it hadn’t. So, the lane had another hazard to be navigated – slippery leaves.

The construction materials were no longer blocking the lane because there was no lane to block. It had been torn down or blocked off completely to facilitate the ongoing construction work. In some places, small pipes were protruding from the ground. These were in a rather loud colour (blue) which has good visibility but they were about 20cm off the ground and would pose hazards to cyclists.

I hope the relevant authorities would seriously look into doing maintenance work or upgrades and put up proper signage to make the cycling lane safer and user friendly. There is no point advertising the cycling lane as an attraction for tourists or alternative way to commute if it is not up to standard.

There is a saying in Malay, “Seperti melepaskan batok di tepi tangga” which means someone does something just for the sake of doing it.

We could do so much better.