Bicycle licences - a case of pedalling back to the 60s?

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians may be travelling back in time to the 60s if a proposal to have licences for bicycle owners is approved.

Some 50-plus years ago, a few states like Penang implemented this regulation under local government by-laws, which required owners to pay for the number plate for their bicycles.

The police have thrown their support behind the bike licensing proposal by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).

Bukit Aman Traffic Investigations and Enforcement chief assistant director Bakri Zainal Abidin said the move was timely and long overdue since cycling was fast gaining popularity among Malaysians.

After Miros first proposed the idea in September, Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong shot it down, saying many factors need to be considered when drawing up such policies.

Youth and Sports Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican also brushed off the idea, saying a sporting and exercising culture should not be licensed.

“The proposal to license bicycles and provide a number is actually a great idea since it will be with insurance coverage. Furthermore, police can conduct proper investigation and facilitate the public for civil claims,” said Bakri.

Some local authorities in the country were empowered to introduce a by-law requiring the owner or user of any non-mechanical vehicle on a public road to pay such fees or taxes.

They have specified that non-mechanical vehicles shall include bicycles, tricycles, trishaws, rickshaws and handcarts, not owned or belonging to the state or federal government.

Bakri said the registration number plates or “tagging” was similar to the practice in developed countries such as the Netherlands and Japan, adding that the proposal should be explored further.

“If there is visual evidence captured by road users against a cyclist committing a traffic violation, we need to trace the suspect.

“Without number plate or registration, it will be extremely difficult for us to do so,” he told RTM when appearing as a guest on the “Selamat Pagi Malaysia” talk show.

It is understood that the top brass in the traffic division of Bukit Aman are keen to have the proposal implemented.

It is also understood the proposal was aimed at compiling a database of the number of bicycles and cyclists including the details of owners.

In September, Miros director-general Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim said that the institute was studying the practice of bicycle registration and licensing with the objective of improving road safety.

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* Shamrin Tamrin is a writer with deep penchant for road safety in Malaysia

** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.