Experts: Motorbike ban may be bad turn

KUALA LUMPUR: Any move to ban motorcycles in the city to reduce pollution and congestion should be done in stages as public transportation is improved, say transport and city planning experts.

This follows news from Hanoi and Jakarta that the capital cities plan to restrict the number of motorcycles to reduce traffic jams and air pollution there.

Former Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) director-general Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah said that improving door-to-door mobility through an integrated public transport system and prioritising pedestrians instead could spur motorcyclists to use other forms of transport.

“The last-mile option for public transport must exist before we can reduce the number of motorcyclists on the road,” he added.

A Professor in Transport at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Civil Engineering, Prof Ahmad said evidence showed that segregated motorcycle lanes led to the best safety outcomes, “provided they are well-designed.”

He said reducing motorcyclists on the road was not enough to reduce congestion, accidents and pollution, pointing out that heavy vehicles contributed to pollution and accident rates as well.

National Institute of Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said reducing the number of motorcycles would be a tall order.

He said that while environmental pollution caused by motorcycles was significant in the city, other vehicles were also to blame.

“A total immediate ban would have adverse consequences,” the former KL City Hall advisory board member said, adding that any such move should be done in stages to achieve the desired impact.

Urbanist Jeffrey Lim said a ban of motorcycles in the capital could lead to other problems.

“Public transport networks would then need to support an equal amount of commuters,” he said, adding that the working classes would be the most affected.

Lim also pointed out that larger vehicles took up more space and polluted more.

Community Policing Biker Malaysia head Low Boon Tat, 48, said reducing the number of cars going into the city would do more to cut congestion and pollution.

He suggested the use of motorcycles with four-stroke engines rather than two-stroke machines.

“Most people also use motorcycles to save time and costs,” he said, adding that in a congested city, a 15-minute motorcycle ride could take twice as long by car.

It was reported that this month that Jakarta city administration will try out an expansion of the motorcycle ban in the hope that it would popularise the use of public transportation in the capital.

Hanoi is aiming for a total ban on motorcycles by 2030.