NOVEMBER 18 ― In response to the recent call to ban cyclists from the highways, I would like to propose that cars be banned instead.
Our country is car and motor vehicle centric. In the past forty years, roads have been built for cars in mind. A cyclist will quickly learn that it is impossible to avoid highways to get to his destination. (Note: I consider any dual-carriage lane as a highway. I understand that highways like PLUS Highway are private highways and do not allow bicycles.)
Today, people are fighting climate change and concerned for their health, thus they have taken up cycling. During the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a shortage of bicycles in 2020! Bicycle factories could not produce enough bicycles for world demand. It is heartening that Malaysians have also taken up cycling in a big way. People are joining local cycling communities like Ride On Petaling Jaya to ride their bicycles.
Rest assured that all cyclists are most concerned about their safety on the road. They all know that, in an accident with a vehicle, they are worse off. The car driver comes out unscathed every time. Well, why not? The driver is protected by the body of his car, seatbelt and airbags.
Instead of thinking of cyclists as a nuisance, all road users should recognise that everyone on the road are just like them: road users. Car drivers seldom try to bully a slow lorry that is in their path. Instead, they overtake the lorry and continue on their way. The same should be done for cyclists, overtake him safely and go on your way; instead of bullying the cyclist by going as near as possible to 'teach him a lesson' or to 'scare him from using the highway'.
Cyclists almost never hit cars and cause injury or death to the driver or the passengers. It is clear that in an accident between the car and the bicycle, the bicycle is always the victim. So, if you think about it, the safest vehicle on the highway is actually the bicycle ― they seldom kill other road users. And they are less polluting too.
If car drivers are more civil and attentive on the road, they would make it safe for everyone, not just cyclists. Learn to share the road and keep each other safe, instead of being frustrated and impatient.
However, if there are calls to ban a vehicle on the highway, it should be the car!
*Pepper Lim is a cycling advocate.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
