A recent statement by police that all motorcyclists, regardless of the size of bike they are riding, must use the motorcycle lane along the Federal Highway or face a fine, drew comments and criticism from the riding public that the motorcycle lane was unsafe to use. Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department director SAC Mahamad Akhir Darus said using the dedicated lane instead of the main carriageway would prevent accidents involving motorcycles.
SAC Mahamad Akhir said no exemption would be given to riders of larger capacity motorcycles, adding that “engineers have done their research and designed the lanes to accommodate all types of motorcycles” and riders who refused to do so were providing “a lame, unacceptable excuse.” This provoked a response from motorcyclists who use the lane, with many saying it was not safe to ride, especially in the tunnels, more so at night, or in bad weather.
With this mind, we decided to see if there was any basis to these claims, and see for ourselves what the fuss was all about. By way of explanation, the author last rode the motorcycle lane on the Federal Highway a little less than 10 years ago, preferring to use alternate routes instead.
Mounting a camera on our long-term test bike, a 2016 Triumph Street Triple R, we planned a route that began at the Jalan Utara entry to the Federal Highway bike lane, turning around at Mid-Valley, then heading towards Klang, and returning.
The first thing we noticed on entering the bike lane proper was how narrow it was. Barely wide enough to accommodate two kapchais side-by-side, the Triumph Street Triple we were riding, while not considered to be particularly large as big bikes go, did require some quick judgement calls while overtaking.
Another thing we noticed was the road surface, which was patched in many areas, and very rough and uneven. Some of the feedback we received was that the surface was not kind to motorcycle rims, with many saying that they had suffered rims bent from accidentally riding into potholes.
Others had said that the uneven and pot-holed surface, together with tree roots breaking through the tarmac, required them to take evasive manoeuvres, and we found this to be true. Quickly changing direction to avoid some of these hazards was not always an option in the narrow – and during rush hour, crowded – bike lane.
Construction abounds along both sides of the Federal Highway, and the works have encroached into the bike lane proper, which means riders are sharply diverted into the emergency lane of the main highway itself. While this might be an accepted practice in terms of traffic management, we found the traffic barriers in the diversion lane made it very narrow, with zero room for error, or stopping.
This hazard was found in many cases to lack of proper warning signage, or warning lights, while construction debris was found scattered through much of the lane. If you’re riding a motocross bike, sand can be entertaining, but not so funny if you’re riding a scooter with small wheels, or a big bike with some weight behind it.
Riding into the tunnels revealed several other hazards, first among which was the lighting. In some tunnels, the lights were not functioning, or partially lit. The other issue was the level of lighting. Riding in bright sunlight, entering a tunnel means the rider is effectively blind, due to the low light level in the tunnel.
Eyes take time to transition from bright sunlight to darkness, and the light level inside the tunnel is inadequate to compensate for this, even when riding at a speed of between 60 to 80 km/h. The road surface inside the tunnels, which we assume is concrete because we couldn’t stop to check, was uneven and bumpy.
While the bike we were riding had adjustable suspension that is compliant and works well, we wondered how riders of cheaper, lower capacity machines coped with riding this kind of a surface, day-in and day-out. The other issue was with the entrance and exit of some of the tunnels.
In many cases, riders had to take a sharp turn to enter the tunnels, with a sharp exit waiting on the other end. Coupled with the temporary loss of vision from entering the darkness, this made for some very exciting exits during our ride along the bike lane.
Another issue was the number of water hazards we encountered, and we’re not playing golf here. We found standing water at several points during our ride, and according to feedback we received from paultan.org readers, flooding in the tunnels during heavy rain is a common occurrence, with many saying that they had ridden into the tunnels to suddenly find themselves knee-deep in floodwater.
Some sections of the Federal Highway bike lane were undulating and curvy, almost like riding a roller coaster. While some might consider this fun, doing this on a daily basis for a work commute rapidly grows old. Add to that the lack of width and emergency run-off space on the lane, and you have an accident waiting to happen.
Corners on the bike lane were the cause of some concern. While certain corners were nicely radiused to match the speed limit, other were 90-degree challenges to a rider’s low-speed bike handling skill. The narrow confines of the lane, coupled with retaining walls and fencing on both sides, effectively made the lane a single-track.
When you consider the amount of bike traffic in the lane, especially during the morning and evening rush-hour, what you get is a bottle-neck. Some riders have said that when the bike in front of them brakes hard for the corner in front, or a hazard, they have found themselves having nowhere to go to avoid a collision.
This sometimes results in a multi-bike pile-up, along with the fact that everyone’s day is ruined. Speed bumps along the lane are also somewhat over-sized, and we saw the result of this in an accident that happened when a rider lost control of his machine after hitting a speed bump.
Overtaking in the lane is a somewhat dicey affair. At certain stretches, like near Shah Alam, overtaking is easy, with a clear, straight lane and adequate run-off space. Other places, like at Angkasapuri or Sunway, overtaking means having to have good judgement, and hoping that the bike in front doesn’t suddenly decide to change direction.
That the guard-rails along the lane come close to edge, coupled with big edifices being built right up to the edge of lane itself, means a rider has absolutely no chance of escape in case something happens in front. All the rider can do is brake hard, and pray.
Speeding up doesn’t solve anything, since the margin for error is so thin, and slowing down means you start to hold up traffic behind you. We rode the lane at an average pace of 55 km/h, according to our GPS, increasing speed slightly in clear sections.
Other hazards we saw during our ride include pedestrians crossing and walking in the lane, and a car crossing the lane. Direction signboards were also somewhat lacking, and exits from the bike lane were not clearly marked.
While it is possible to ride a big bike on the Federal Highway bike lane, it is somewhat hazardous. If a rider doesn’t pay attention, or is taken by surprise, an accident can easily result. In some places in the bike lane, the only thing that saved the author was decades of riding experience, and a capable motorcycle.
So, from a safety standpoint, are the police right in enforcing the law and making riders use the Federal Highway bike lane? Yes, the law is the law, and not obeying the law leads to anarchy and chaos. The lackadaisical attitude of many Malaysian road users, both four- and two-wheeled, is proof of this.
But, is it fair for motorcyclists to be subject to some of the hazards of riding in the bike lane, when the infrastructure and maintenance is clearly lacking in many areas?
We hope that this video, along with constructive comments and opinions from our readers, will spur the authorities to make improvements not just to the motorcycle lane, but to road and highway design as a whole, so that we can all have a safe drive or ride.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Good Job!
Government got no initiative to investigate. Bravo to Paul Tan and team. This is one of many initiatives Paul Tan has done that helps our safety. Recently, Paul Tan also did the free car seats rental gesture. Bravo Bravo Bravo!
Unfortunately, our Government is NOT interested in bike safety. Our Government is more interested in renting private planes for RM98 million to go to Turkey. This is despite having 5 planes already in the hangar ready to take anyone FREE.
Our Government also can spend RM500 million to buy a brand new plane for big boss and spend another RM30 million to renovate it to more luxurious quality for big boss.
I hope our Government get their priority right. Please think about our brothers and sisters who are riding in the bike lane and not just the Ministers whims and fancies.
Government will lost most of the Rempits votes, BN never dare to complaint on them… Scared of losing votes.
Polis trafik & VIP polis riders should test out the bike lanes too.
Save that little money and endanger your life for what? Get a car!
xde jam. xde toll. Ape u mau lg?
For a moment I thought it is new paultan racing game, before reading the title.
Agreed ! Thanks PT for the effort.
With the “takpe lah” & “boleh lah” mentality .. motorcyclist life is as cheap as the roadside lalang.
post the video..
Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.
john oh john, how can you be inconsiderate? Majority using the tunnels are your own people john. You should be more compassionate. Look, even me, kunta kinte, can feel sorry for your own people.
bertaubat lah john.
u tak pakai bike lane, duduk dalam kereta diam2…yang jatuh di bike lane sebab jalan tidak rata, lubang sana sini, jalan sempit bukan kamu…
The rakyat now gives a F on you and your Proton, john
You all act like surprised. Oh well, it’s similar to normal roads that are used by vehicles as well.
harap bapak polisi tengoj. jgn main suruh jer.
I think this is a very good effort on your part to highlight the dangers involving our fellow motorist, the motorcyclists and whats in it for them when it comes to a dedicated motorcycle lane.
More often than not, drivers are often either concerned or angry that the dedicated lanes are not used by the motorcyclists, without actually knowing what the deal is like for them, whether or not it is safe.
I would like to suggest that PT cover other major highways with motorcycle lanes such as KESAS.
on the flip-side….considering the way some motorcyclists fly on federal highway….they use this dangerous road also no diff….
No doubt it is not really on par… but riding your bike on the 4 lane highway and zip-zapping through cars from the speed lane and all the way till inner lane is way more dangerous than driving on the motorcycle lane.
I myself driving on Federal Highway sometimes also find it difficult to change lane, and now motorcyclist also go into the main road to make it way more difficult and dangerous since a lot of driver does not expect there to be a motorcycle in Federal highway.
Why don’t you drive your car into motorcycle lane?
It will be much safer for you.
one day when u cant afford to drive a car anymore and have to use a kapchai…then u’ll know
Still no excuse for inconsiderate riding on federal highway
Just take a bus. Safe and sound.
I do hope the police officer who commented on the use of bike lane really take notice of this article…Job well done Mohan
Thanks Paultan for this bike lane review. Agreed that this is somewhat hazardous due to lack of proper design of the lane.
I hope that the road/highway builder will really consider all the factors when building those roads for car & bikes. And the gment plz do inspect properly before approval.
However, we must separate two different issue here, 1.Law 2.Road Design.
We can’t disobey law because of road design, for eg, can we throw rubbish as we like and blame no dustbin or if the dustbin is full?
Since the bikes lane has the design flawed, the only way is to pressure those respective dept. to solve the problem.
Anyway, hope paultan can do a same review on the normal roads as well, coz i bliv those issue happen in the bikes lane do happen in the car’s lane as well. Thanks.
Not only motor lane. Most of road (except from Selangor) not properly maintain by JKR which is one of the cause for accident.
Are you sure? Try driving around PJ. They are the worst!
your should really come to jalan kebun or kampung lombong near kota kemuning to see the road we have to go through everyday.
Dun need to go so ulu, I just only need to go PJ one way loop to see how “great” Party Hard Selangor roads are.
As if the roads in sabah and sarawak are the best in malaysia…
Smart and enlightened Party Hard supporters says those swing around trees dun need gud roads while the smart and enlightened Party Hard supporters demand for best road in the world, woh.
FYI, JKR only responsible for state and federal road. PJ, KL centre, etc are under respective local authorities eg. DBKL, MBSA, etc.
as long as motorcycles don’t use the bike lanes and get hit by cars or trucks, drivers are not liable for reckless driving.
GREAT ! Should do a ride during the night, it will be worse.
Easily get robbed in one of those tunnels.
wondering what camera used in this recording.
Just another proof the we pay authorities that make stupid, knee-jerk rakyat diakhirkan decisions with little study
But according to wiki, the motor lane is originally for basikal woh. So isit Gov fault?
Of course. Do you think aliens built that shoddy bike lane? Its those self-enriching government that has not thought about spending the rakyat’s money (gst collection so much buat apa?) for the betterment of the rakyat, such as better roads for motorcyclists.
dude.. why you so buthurt with motorcylists? they’re also want to go office everyday; safely like you which is driving..
discriminate aren’t you? why dont you tell you beloved government to ‘jaga rakyat’ not only ‘jaga duit poket’?
Dun blame me. Thats what wiki said. If u dun like, apply to wiki and change that sentence lah!
Bike lane is victims of overdevelopment along Federal Highway. I used it more than a decade ago as my daily route. I don’t dare to use it nowadays seeing how the route being distorted and bended to make way for wider car lanes and entrance/exit ramps.
I wonder if a motorcyclist got into an accident on Federal Highway (not the motorcycle lane)… would the insurance cover for damages? Would the insurance cover for injuries?
malaysia law, car and normal kapchai motorbike accident…regardless who at fault…motorcyclist can claim the unlucky car driver’s insurance…and the car owner’s NCB habis
Yes that is true but there are signs that motorcycles are not allowed on the main road so if I knock down a bike (non-fatal), will I be subject to prosecution by the enforcement agency? I almost had a close encounter a few days ago when changing lane, this bike came really fast from behind between lane 1 (fast) and 2 (middle).
best if you directly report to police station. don bother stopping for him. you might get beaten up by them in fact. recommended u install dashcam in ur car.
I avoid the federal highway and use the NPE instead or other alternative routes if I need to get to PJ on a bike. I prefer not to break the law nor will I risk it on such horrendous conditions of the federal highway’s rubbish excuse of a bike lane. Even bicycles that are much, much slower aren’t safe on such lanes and conditions.
we able to learn to love and care all road users no matter how many wheels you have also this is called common courtesy. Life does not have second time in order to prevent and protect all road users it should belongs to all Malaysian to make a better place and role models to the world too.
Mohan, according to wiki this lane was intended for bicycles and the designed speed is 60 kmph.
Kapcais and scooters r still okayish to use it but for big bikes, I suggest using the car lane but ride it like u drive a car. Meaning keep ur distance, keep to speed limit, ride within the lane, stick to left or middle, no ciloking, tahan the jam like every other car users and such. As a driver who used FH for 4 years, I can accept this trade off.
He should go ride on the bike lane to see the danger for himself. Tokkok and issuing warnings is easy.
I bet their reply would be something like this…
“Noted, we have allocated 250 million to upgrade the motorcycle lanes”
==
The relevant minister and top ministry official should ride motorcycle along this lane to experience it how difficult and challenge face by our motorist. Most of them do not have chauffeur to drive them to and from office. From there can understand, find solution and improve our road conditions.
They won’t got the chance to experience this. Pandai pandai belakon
SiPolis Mangkuk ni pernah naik motor ikut laluan motor ni.jangan pandai bercakap jer
Keep up the good work! We need to increase the awareness so proper actions can be taken to protect road users. Both drivers and riders.
Excellent video, looks awesome to me who doesnt ride bikes.
1. Bikes and buses are irrelevant because our Ministers will never think about that. They will never use KTM, LRT thats why the service will never be great. Only Merc S-Class will be good.
2. Please don’t overtake on narrow roads, I don’t think the bike lane is for you to overtake on.
3. Lane-splitting. No. No. No. Please educate your bikers to keep on the left and stop splitting lanes. Simple etiquette that saves lives. I believe 90% of Malaysian drivers have been hit by bikes who lane split.
yeah. and correct me if im wrong, i think lane splitting is illegal, thus no point for motorcyclist to stare angrily at car who changing lane, who got stuck in traffic, and who did not give enough space for them to selit-selit
where does it say, lane splitting is illegal?
question, so my bike is all the way on the left lane, but at the end of the road, i need to turn right, do I wait at the last minute to change lane to the right? Its ok if I cross all those cars who are going left and straight, just so that I can go right?
another is, how do u overtake the car in front?…lane splitting is basically overtaking the front car on the right here in msia just like normal car but just that a bike is smaller and can squeeze in between…Overtaking is illegal meh??
i think it is illegal, since motorcycle by law should use motorcycle lane. if no motorcycle lane, then by right it should use the road as how a car use it, ie at the centre of road, not in the middle of road marking. again, correct me if im wrong.
Try ride a bike than talk. Talk is cheap.
@Battu You ‘think’? Law is not something based on your on assumptions. BTW, it’s not illegal in Malaysia.
you think riding a kapcai on the motorcycle lane is easy? try riding a 1200 GS or Hayabusa or an HD. Heck even the abang polis’ Honda will have a hard time.
The minister should be forced to ride motorcycle at bike lane federal highway then he will agree how stupid malaysia minister
Thank you paultan for highlighting this. I want to see those being elected by the people and also the police top guns to see what the rakyat go through everyday to make ends meet. Not enough with super high interest rates to buy cubchais to go to work, they have to risk their lives riding through shoddy, marginalised bike lanes like this. Those who ride to work usually lives very far from their workplace, and without proper public transport where they live. Easiest way to solve this? Scrap those bike lanes, widen the highway and create a bike lane on the highway itself, similar to a bus lane. Make it optional for superbikes to use it or the main lanes. This would be much safer than those expensive bike only lanes that they now build.
i just log in to say thank you for these videos :)
Great Job Paul Tan. I hope the powers that be see and read this. There is a chance to save people from being killed and maimed. Would love to see those who disagree try the same ride on a fully equipped Honda Gold Wing. I do realize the law is the law but have mercy on the big touring bikes!
Eye opening and informative indeed.
This kind of journalism reports deserve more praise.
Very good review bro.
But you need to also highlight that some part of the bike lane near Mid Valley (heading towards KL) has concrete barrier to prevent bikes from entering. Think the idea then was to use the lane for bicycle… Which was a bad idea – If you prevent bikes from using bike lanes (and only allow bicycles to go thru), the bikes will shift to the main road… which will be illegal according to cops.
The other thing is many years ago there used to be an entry to bike lane along Jalan Syed Putra heading towards Federal Highway (somewhere behind old TV3 building). It’s no longer there. So now for bikes to enter bike lane in Federal Highway, you need to go thru the main road first and only enter the lane from either a small entry about 500m after Cheras / Old Klang Road turning or below Universiti LRT station. BTW, the Cheras / Old Klang Road / Federal Highway turning is always jam. Couple with the fact that mostly 4 wheel drivers dont respect bikes, I can tell you that riding bikes there really demand high skills and luck.
Looks like game meh…should made this into Motorcross Madness series..
The lane conditions are bad. Potholes to car can just be damages to the car but potholes to a bike can be someone’s life.
SAC Mahamad Akhir, you serious? Don’t BS pls.
—> The engineers have done their research and designed the lanes to accommodate all types of motorcycles
—————————————————–
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/06/18/stick-to-the-lanes-bikers-told-cops-risky-to-ride-along-federal-highway/
“SAC Mahamad Akhir said riding bigger motorcycles such as superbikes, cruisers or scramblers was not an excuse for motorcyclists not to use the dedicated lanes.
“That is a lame, unacceptable excuse. There is no discrimination when it comes to safety. No motorcyclist has an exclusive right over others.
“The engineers have done their research and designed the lanes to accommodate all types of motorcycles.
“The width of the lanes isn’t the issue. The real reason is because motorcyclists can’t speed in these lanes,” he said.”
The govt is discouraging the use of motobikes, how much is a used proton saga? Just dump ur bikes and come jam with us yo! Why risk ur life? The idea of riding a bikes already a dangerous choice of commute disregard how wide the motorbike lanes are designed…wake up dun be stingy..
“very sharp corner”
i tot malaysian bikers/mat rempit love it…they always ride like they r motogp rider tilting their body close to the ground XD
What camera and app is that?
Finally some reveal from the side of motorcyclist view.
Poor the one who daily using the road. Please stop corruption and fix those roads.
Bikers are full of shit. Ride slowly if conditions do not permit faster riding. Plain and simple. There are construction going on everywhere. Sharp bends and narrow lanes is not an excuse. If you wanna die, then go ahead and ride on the main federal highway roads.
I ride bicycles and i too slow down when it doeesnt permit me to ride fast. As a cyclist, i hate to slow down because i have to pedal back to speed again. You lot of shit bikers only need to twist the farking accelerator. Whats so farking hard about that.
Its quite obvious you havent ridden a big bike over 350kg before. The dynamics of a huge bike becomes clumsy when travelling at anything less than 20km/h and even more so when the pavements are uneven. And negotiating sharp bends at that speed is just asking for trouble. So before anyone make any comments about the safety of motorcyclist, please go and ride one yourself.
Look…if you cannot handle a big bike, dont ride it. Want to ride it…dont use the federal highway. Simple. Whats so farking hard about that.
Like I said, if you wanna go ride on the main federal highway road and die….your choice.
The argument is why we dont use the.bike lane in Federal Highway is because the motorlane are ill designed and NOT safe for bikers to use. Its not about skills or death wish. No bikers wishes to endanger themselves by choosing a route which is more dangerous than the ones which is provided for. Period.
Really thx to the effort done by Paul Tan… the truth of the terrible lane condition is always there… the enforcer should open their eyes and see this article thoroughly…
Think most of bikers will like pt comment. But think of it, life is more important. If go thru I. Between car is that wider than the bike lane? Avoid those idiotic car change lane without signal is safetier compare to avoid those water and debris? I think in motorlane if u drive slower and be tolerate it should be fine rather than risk ur life.
There are 2 bullshit stuffs i observed in the video which the video highlight :
1. Narrow road, difficult to overtake
2. Pedestrian crossing.
Narrow road cannot overtake then just wait it out and ride slowly. We car drivers also often get blocked by huge trucks especially uphill sections where trucks will crawl at 40 km/h overtaking each other (NKVE from Subang to Sg Buloh, right before Restoran Jejantas area) , but cars can actually speed up to 80 km/h. So what car drivers do if they cannot find space to overtake the trucks ?? JUST WAIT IT OUT UNTIL YOU HAVE SPACE . Thats it !!! You bunch of bikers are just too impatient !! That is why when you bikers forcefully overtake each other in car lane when the traffic is packed, you often hit the car side mirrors and just run away.
Pedestrian crossing is nothing to complain about. Not bikes in bike lane will encounter pedestrian crossing, but cars also encounter them everywhere. So what is it to complain when you can just stop for pedestrian to cross the road safely ?? That is what we four-wheeler users do too.
The dynamics. of a. motorcycle is different from a car. Sudden braking of an obstacles in front will causes the bike to skid or endo and cause serious bodily harms. Being rear ended by vehicles is common as bike is not as visible as a car. And stopping on a slope on a bike is different from a car. I use both forms of transportation and we ride differently from how we drive because we undewtand the dynamics of a two wheeler is different and you can’t use the same principle of driving and riding. If you havent ridden on a bike before and start encountering the risks involved , it is difficult for you to perceive the dangers of a. motorcyclist. If driving and riding is the same, then why need different licencing and laws for both vehicles. Nobody has a death wish and riders the same. Everyone will always choose the safest possible ways to get to ones destination.
That’s why drive slow. U can see the speed of the video average up to 60 which is much more faster than the car in federal highway.
Try riding a 350kg bike and tell me about riding slow at walking pace. At sharp corners and uneven road, riding at extreme slow speeds does not means less risks. You have to balance the bikes and also risks being rear ended by cars or other motorcyclist. Have you try cycling at 5kmh?? It’s the same principle. The gyroscopic speed is what keeps the bike upright. Being ignorant in this case is not bliss. Go out and ride a bike before contributing your two cents worth.
Great job for pointing out certain hazardous aspects of the motorcycle lane. Please allow me to point out that most big bikes cost more to buy and to run compared to the majority of the cars on the other side of the barrier. If there is effort by the gov to fix the issues of debris, portholes, tunnel lighting and etc, the lanes would still be hazardous for big bikes. Here’s an idea, get a car or get a smaller bike. Big bikes are a huge hazard to the rider and riders of smaller bikes in the motorcycle lane, don’t go into the motorcycle lane and bully others, don’t go into the highway to bully drivers and endanger yourself.
Corner at 3:30 minute mark always flooded during rain. Motorcyclist cant use the road n have to take an exit. This is near jalan Templar if Im not mistaken.
Does anyone know the speed limit for motorbike lane?
shud do another video during peak hours…narrow bike lane and huge volume of motorcycle just a recipe for disaster. really scares me during my uni time if have to use the Fed Hyway bike lane….that place is soo damn dangerous, i pray that those having negative comments here dont end up having relatives/love one falls victim to these treacherous road conditions so called bike lanes.
Big kudos to those motorcyclist…if not for them opting to use a bike to commute…THE TRAFFIC JAM WILL MUCH WORSE!!…just imagine if all of them suddenly decided to drive to work. MAJOR GRIDLOCK!
If all bikes should use bike lane (no excuse), then why are police bikes on the highway?
12 months has passed since this detail report’s publishing.
What has changed? Any improvement?
whats the statistics on motocycle accidents, in the bike lane?
PT, please do another same report, and highlight the improvements and who is responsible.