Night cycling by teenagers: Past efforts failed to curb the activity

Parents and guardians must do more to supervise their children’s activities, says deputy home minister

JOHOR BAHR: Night cycling activity involving children and teenagers in the city has been raised on numerous occasions since 10 years ago, but with no solution reached, said Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed.
He said efforts were made by the authorities, including the police, to curb the activity, like giving advice, but it went unheeded.
“Therefore, I urge parents and guardians to supervise their children’s activities. We do not want what happened today to recur,” he said in a statement which was conveyed to the media by his special officer, Rashid Kasman, at the Forensic Department of the Sultanah Aminah Hospital here today.
The statement was issued in response to an incident in which eight teen cyclists were killed after they were mowed down by a car driven by a 22-year-old woman at 3am here today.
Another eight were injured, including two critically, in the accident which occurred along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam near the Mahmoodiah Muslim cemetery.
“An incident like this has been expected and it happened today.
“Prior to this, there have been cases involving child and teenaged cyclists, but it involved one or two persons only, unlike today, ” he added.
Nur Jazlan also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims involved.

Comments - Why so sombong just because you drive a car maybe an expensive car with a driver. The solutions have always been there but the people in power do not care not the people who build the roads. Bicycle lanes are practically non-existent in this count and if there are like in USJ Subang Jaya , cars and lorries are parked there ( MPSJ does not enforce the law that no obstruction or parking on bicycle lanes and school kids are forced to ride on the main roads. A tragedy waiting to happen by MSPJ have been warned and also no zebra crossing in Subang Jaya. There was a tragedy last year when a school kid crossed the traffic light from US11 to USJ 12 at night when the sign was green for him to cross and a fast food delivery man riding a motorcycle beat the red light, ram into the boy and killed him on the spot. I was passing the road and saw the aftermath of the accident. Was the motorcyclist punished yes or no but do not know)

Learn from your neighboring country Singapore where bicycle lanes have been build all over and Malaysia and start now because it is never too late to start doing things right if your heart is in to it.

 

Look and the motorcyclist dying on the roads like flies yes flies because when motorcyclist meets with an accident he or she gets squash like a fly on the road. Again no motorcycle lanes or signs say that motorcyclist only allowed on the slow lane if no motorcycle lane available. Need political will and it will save lives. Kids from poor families who cannot afford public transport or cars, use bicycle as a cheap mode of transport and no petrol needs only free air from petrol stations to keep the tires inflated

 

I bet another Panel will be setup and some high profile personalities will be appointed, given an office, allowances and perks. Budget will be a few million ringgits and 6 to 12 months to conclude the investigation and when done final report will be stamped OSA and filed in file 13. When not use that money to start building bicycle lanes, proper signage’s and have local council enforce the law

 

In Malaysia we only can hope and hope because nothing good comes out of the investigations but only good comes in for the big fat cats pockets. Appoint the layman in these panels and you will have preventative suggestions as common folks ride motorcycles and bicycles where else the so call experts drive cars

 

Blame the victims is easy but if there were bicycle lanes this would not have happen at all and all bicycles must have head lights and also back lights with reflector lights. Cyclist must wear vest with reflective tapes as at night will be visible

I have do and analysis later on and give my input for cyclist to cycle safety day and night

 

News of accident below

 

Eight teenagers on bicycles killed, mowed down by car

By Bernama

 

Six others are injured, two critically in the 3am incident in JB

JOHOR BAHRU: Eight male teenagers on bicycles were killed after they were mowed down by a car in Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, besides the Mahmoodiah cemetery, near here, early this morning.

Johor Bahru Selatan District Police chief, ACP Sulaiman Salleh said eight others were injured, two critically in the 3am incident.

“The injured are being treated at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital,” he told reporters at the hospital mortuary here today.

He said a group of 20 to 30 teenagers, aged 13 to 17 years, on bicycles were believed to have obstructed Jalan Lingkaran Dalam and other nearby roads before before being mowed down by the car.

“A 22-year-old woman driving a car from Taman Pelangi ploughed into a group of the youths when she was believed to have failed to brake in time,” said Sulaiman.

“The driver also sustained minor injuries and sent to the hospital as she was traumatised,” said Sulaiman.

He said the woman was currently detained to help in investigation.

He said, of the 16 victims, six were still schooling.

“The case is being investigated under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987,” he said.

Sulaiman said preliminary investigation found the woman was not drunk and was not speeding during the incident.

Modified bicycles

Sulaiman said police found the bicycles used by all the victims had been modified and were not following the permitted specifications.

“The offence is under Part Three of the Highway Code whereby a cyclist must abide by the method in paragraph five until Article 68 and summonses could be imposed under the Malaysia Highway Authority 165/69 for modifying a bicycle.

“Action too can be imposed on the guardian who is negligent under Section 33 of the Child Act 2001 for not supervising their children,” he said.

As such, he reminded parents to always monitor the activities and movements of their children.

Throughout last year, he said 28 modified bicycles had been seized during 28 operations.

For this year alone, Sulaiman said 17 bicycles were seized in five operations conducted.

 

 

 

.

 

.