Motorcycle Safety in Malaysia

Prepared by:

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Azhar Azmi GS

Abdikarim Omar GS

Khairul Azam GS

Houman Farsad GS

Mariam Ahmed GS

1. Title of the project.

2. Description of the existing problems.

3. The proposed scheme.

4. The results upon implementation.

5. Drawbacks.

6. Target for future improvement, etc

7. References

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Motorcycle safety constitutes an increasingly significant concern in Malaysia, because:

In Malaysia, Motorcycle registration makes up around 50% of the total registered Vehicles. While In Indonesia and Vietnam, motorcycles dominate and make up more than 78% and 90% of the registered motorized traffic respectively.

In Malaysia, the composition of motorcycle makes up around 40% for urban roads, around 20% for commuting, except for commuters to Singapore, where 64.2% of traffic are motorcyclists on that corridor between Johor Bahru to Singapore.

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In rural areas, the traffic composition of motorcycles ranges between 25% AND 55%, depending on the locality

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Percentage of accidents by vehicle type of Malaysia, motorcycle accidents is nearly 50% of the total accidents.

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The motorcyclists contributed more than 60% of the injuries sustained and almost 60% of the fatal accidents that occurred on Malaysian roads.

Many policies aiming to drastically reduce the number of motorcycle accidents have been implemented such as Mandatory motorcycle helmet legislationTraffic calming measuresRoad safety education (in primary schools)Running headlight during all daySeparation of trafficConspicuity enhancement etc. The situation has improved in the past 6 years and many efforts remain to be made.

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One of the effective engineering approaches to tackle this problem is by segregating these vulnerable road users from other motorized traffic through the provision of an exclusive motorcycle lane or a non exclusive lane that is restricted to motorcyclists with physical barriers and markings.

In the early seventies, the first motorcycle lane in the world was constructed along the Federal Highway Route 2, one of the busiest urban expressways in the country, under a World Bank project.

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The track consists of an exclusive 16 kilometer motorcycle track connecting the city of Kuala Lumpur and the Subang International Airport.

For safety and accessibility of motorcyclists, grade-separated interchanges are used to connect the track with the main carriageway.

In early 1992, an extension of the track was carried out. This extension was part of the improvement programme to the existing two-lane expressway connecting the Subang International Airport to the towns of Shah Adamn and Klang.

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The project was constructed and managed by Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan (PLUS), under one of the government's privatisation schemes.

In November 1993, major sections of the lane were completed ahead of schedule and it was opened for use by the public.

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The positive impact of this provisional motorcycle lane has been proven along an extension of track between the Subang International Airport to the towns of Shah Alam and Klang.

There was a significant reduction of 39% in motorcycle accidents following the opening of the lane.

Another study showed that the benefit to cost ratio of providing an exclusive motorcycle lane width ranging from 3.3 m to 5.2 m is about three times.

Since the benefit higher than the cost, it has been deduced that the provision of an exclusive motorcycle lane is highly cost effective in resolving motorcycle related accidents and incidents in countries with a high motorcycle population.

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There was a sizeable number of motorcyclists who stayed on the main carriageway instead of riding on the motorcycle lane.

The width of the motorcycle lane is too narrow for bigger motorcycles as well as for overtaking purposes.

Motorcyclists exiting motorcycle lanes may face risks of being collided from behind due to narrow off-ramps

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The motorcycle lane passes dangerous sharp corners as well as some tunnels. The sharp corners are dangerous for motorcyclists if they are riding at high speeds above 35

km/h.

Poor maintenance of Motorcycle lanes on Malaysian expressways .

Some stretches of the motorcycle lanes are flooded with puddles even when it's not raining.

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Some stretches may have potholes and also covered with sand which often causes troubles for motorcyclists.

The lanes are also poorly-illuminated and also less monitored.

The corners and tunnels of the motorcycle lanes can be potential sites for some robbers to rob motorcyclists due to the dark and hidden locations.

There are reported cases by motorcyclists whose tyres have been punctured due to hitting nails at the motorcycle lane.

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Construction of more exclusive motorcycle lanes .

Widening of the exclusive motorcycle lane up to 3.80 m

To improve safety of the exclusive motorcycle lanes.

To reduce the emitting pollution by motorcycles.

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Providing guard rails and road markings for motorcycle lanes to make safer for motorcyclist.

To install ITS sensors on the motorcycles to prevent accidents.

To install airbags on the motorcycles to enhance safety of motorcyclist.

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Hsu, Tien-Pen (et al)A comparison study on motorcycle traffic development in some Asiancountries – case of Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam

Radin Umar R.S. and Teik Hua LAWDetermination of comfortable safe width in an exclusive motorcycle lane.

Nhan T. TranInterventions for the Prevention of Road Traffic Injuries: Case Study of Malaysia

Radin Umar R.SMotorcycle Lane Programs in Malaysia.

Radin Umar R.S., Murray G Mackay and Brian L HillsPreliminary analysis of exclusive motorcycle lanes along the federalhighway F02, Shah Alam, Malaysia

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