Authorities to crack down on reckless delivery riders

Food delivery riders ride fast on walkways and pose a danger to pedestrians.

KUALA LUMPUR City Hall (DBKL) will work closely with the police to penalise motorcyclists riding on pedestrian walkways.

DBKL has received many complaints from city folk regarding motorcyclists, especially food delivery riders, who encroach on pedestrian walkways and ride recklessly.

Many have complained that they had to dodge delivery riders as the latter weaved through traffic at high speed, almost colliding with other road users.

DBKL Corporate Planning Department director Khairul Azmir Ahmad said pedestrian walkways were not meant for vehicles.

“It is part of the city’s car-free policy to reduce carbon footprint and tackle climate change.

Khairul Azmir: DBKL will work with the police on the matter of delivery riders using pedestrian walkways.

“We will engage with the police on this and hope to carry out enforcement soon, ’’ he added.

In 2019, DBKL upgraded the pedestrian walkways along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Masjid India, Medan Bunus, Lorong Bunus 1 river promenade, Jalan Melayu, Lanai Seni and Medan Pasar.

In the process, roadside hawkers were relocated to designated hawker centres in the surrounding areas.

M. Viknendran, from Bangsar, said he was almost hit by a delivery rider last week along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

“I took the LRT for a meeting there as I thought it would be faster and safer, but I think I would have been better off driving instead.

“The walkways are wide and convenient.

Siti Huraizah: The blind community encounters various obstructions on walkways, apart from motorcyclists.

“It was lunch hour when all of a sudden, a group of delivery riders emerged out of nowhere onto the walkways and started weaving their way around the pedestrians.

“One rider almost knocked down a woman and her child, ” he added.

A cashier at a retail outlet nearby, who wanted to be known only as Serena, said it was a similar scene almost daily, especially during lunch hour.

“Lunch hour is the worst time as the riders would talk on their mobile phones while riding their bikes. I have even witnessed a few near-collisions, ” she added.

Shopkeepers in the Masjid India area who spoke to StarMetro said after decades of dodging chairs and tables from illegal stalls put up by traders, they now had to put up with irresponsible motorcyclists.

“DBKL spent millions of ringgit two years ago building pedestrian walkways to make it safe for us, but look at it now.

Chong: There should be more awareness of traffic rules for those using pedestrian walkways.

“We were much safer with the illegal stalls, at least they were stationary, ’’ said Farida Begum, who works in the area.

“The delivery riders are more dangerous, ’’ she said, adding that some of them would park their motorcycles on the corner while waiting to collect orders.

In Brickfields, residents, especially the blind community, complain of obstructions on five-foot ways apart from the delivery riders.

“As long as there is a way, they will obstruct, ’’ said Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) accessibility and advocacy executive Siti Huraizah Ruslan.

“The blind have had to deal with all sorts of obstacles, from chairs and tables to stalls, rubbish bins, bicycles, e-scooters and even cars and vans, ’’ she said.

Photographers stationed along sidewalks outside popular eateries in Jalan Masjid India, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Dang Wangi, Jalan Raja Laut, Brickfields and Bukit Bintang witnessed the recklessness.

Viknendran: One delivery rider almost knocked down a woman and her child along Jalan TAR.

Motorcyclists, especially food delivery riders, were seen blatantly invading the sidewalks, some chatting on their mobile phones as they swerved through crowds to get to their destination.

“It’s a thankless job and one that is very stressful, ’’ said Malaysia E-Hailing Drivers Association (Mehda) president Daryl Chong, referring to food delivery riders.

“Rain or shine, they have to go out for deliveries, often racing against time for a good rating or a tip.

“I will not deny that there are some who are breaking traffic rules, ” he said.

“It would really help if people could show some understanding.

“We also hope there will be more awareness on the matter, ’’ he said.

A delivery rider in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman using the pedestrian walkway.

Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief Asst Comm Zulkefly Yahya said the police had yet to receive any report on the matter.

“However, we will monitor the situation. We urge those with information on such activities to contact the police, ” he said.

ACP Zulkefly also said that the public could also use the Volunteer Smartphone Patrol (VSP) mobile application to capture such incidents and forward them to the police.

“If we receive any complaint or report on the matter, we can take action, ” he added.

In an interview with the The Star in December last year, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) reported that almost 2,000 motorcyclists were killed on the road between March 18 and Nov 18, during the movement control order period.

Motorcyclists made up 68% of the total 2,868 deaths recorded from traffic accidents during the period, 70% of which were fatalities that occurred on federal and state roads.