Motorists have been commuting along the Federal Highway for decades and traffic is often gridlocked despite the many other highways that have been built to better connect those in the Klang Valley.

With every trip taken on the Federal Highway, day or night, many motorcyclists can be spotted riding on the highway itself, some even on the fast lane and NOT using the dedicated bike lanes on either side.

For years, car drivers have complained about motorcyclists whizzing past them, weaving in and out of traffic and causing some nervous drivers to brake hard to avoid a collision. On occasion, this has caused bumper-to-bumper accidents.

In June 2019, due to increased complaints from irate drivers, the police started a weekly random roadblock on the highway to stop and issue summonses to motorcyclists who refused to use the dedicated bike lanes.

The police and the road transport department decided that the Federal Highway was no longer open to motorcycles. This made car drivers happy and some even said it was long overdue.

There has even been the construction of a new overhead bike lane cutting across Jalan 222, built at a very high cost. It was time for bike lanes to be used in full.

Some RM3.13 million was spent from 2017 when RM29 million was allocated for motorcycle lane upgrades.

DSF thinks that only a small portion of this money was used with the rest being in the hands of shoddy contractors who drive large luxury SUVs on the fast lane.

There has now been a lot of negative responses from bike lane users, claiming that those who only drive cars are biased and unaware of the issues they face when using the bike lanes.

Hoping to get to the bottom of the issue, DSF hopped onto a small scooter to experience the bike lanes on the Federal Highway, once during the daytime and once again at night.

Here are eight issues the town council and police should know about:

1. The bike lane from Bangsar South to Jalan Gasing is dotted with many overgrown trees and if two motorcyclists are riding side by side, the rider on the left might hit a branch or two. Regular tree maintenance is needed asap.
2. Where the bike lane merges with another intersection, the space allocated for the merging traffic is not wide enough and one needs to come to a complete stop to make the run safely. These merging lanes need more thought.
3. When it rains, the bike lane running along PJ Hilton gets flooded. It’s very slippery, even when riding slowly.
4. The lane running along thick trees can be dangerous at night as the street lights are not shining on the path and riders worry about the possibility of robbers hiding in the bushes, ready to ambush them.
5. The lane running along the houses before the Sungei Way exit and before the Cycle & Carriage showroom is strewn with debris, making it dangerous for all bikers and even cyclists.
6. Riding at night is actually dangerous as at some spots it is very dark and a rider has to be extra alert.
7. Some motorcyclists ride too fast (mostly delivery guys) and they can cause an accident.
8. Large bikes cannot ride on these lanes due to their width and it will be impossible to overtake them or for the riders to negotiate some of the sharp turns smoothly.

Riding on the bike lane in the daytime has to be slow, below 50 kilometers to ensure safety and when it rains it is a real hazard at a number of spots.

Then there is debris and cracked pavements which can throw a rider easily.

Because of these prevailing hazards, DSF has to agree with the many motorcyclists who refuse to use the dedicated bike lanes. That is why so many are still using the slow lane of the Federal Highway until the bike lanes can be 100% safe.

That said, motorcyclists should not be riding on the fast lane of the Federal Highway either or weaving in and out of traffic.

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