Blue lane lacks last-mile connectivity

A survey shows that the public will walk and cycle more when there is better division between the dedicated lane and the road.

IT HAS been a year since Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) implemented dedicated lanes for cyclists in the city by painting them blue at a cost of RM4mil.

The general feedback from regular cyclists then was that the bicycle lane was not implemented properly as it lacked safety features and was misused by motorists who drove on them.

The project was completed just before the World Urban Forum (WUF) in February last year, linking the WUF Village in Medan Pasar, Menara DBKL 1 to Menara DBKL 3, and KL Convention Centre.

DBKL also initiated the Kuala Lumpur Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan but details are unclear. 

A frequent complaint among cyclists is that buses and other vehicles parked along the blue bicycle lane become obstructions and make it slightly more difficult for them to navigate.

StarMetro spoke to regular cyclists who said further improvements were needed. They are also unsure what the bicycle master plan would entail.

Jeffrey Lim — Cycling KL Bicycle Map project coordinatorLim said having the blue bicycle lane in the city centre was an achievement on its own by providing cyclists with a dedicated lane.

“The capacity of the road could not be taken away, so DBKL had to ensure there were three lanes for cars and space for pedestrians in addition to the bicycle lane.

“But the challenge was in areas where creating separate spaces was not feasible, so cyclists and pedestrians had to share.”

Lim worked with DBKL for over six months to map out the route for the bicycle lane.