In Cars, Local News, Public Transport / By Anil Prabha / 8 September 2015 10:42 am / 15 comments

In a bid to encourage more to cycle, commuters will soon be allowed to take folding bicycles aboard the Light Rail Transit (LRT). Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) planning executive director Datuk Mohd Najib Mohd said storage areas will be available at every station for other types of bicycles too.

Speaking to Bernama, he said the plan allows bicycles to be taken aboard the LRT only during off-peak hours. The facilities will be provided in cooperation with Prasarana. “At the masterplan development stage, the main focus is the first mile connection, namely, to encourage the public to use bicycles to the LRT stations close to their housing areas,” he said.

Mohd Najib added that with such facilities, he hopes city dwellers will give their support by using bicycles and public facilities to move about. In the pipeline are stop-overs for cyclists to change clothes and bicycle routes complete with safety features.

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Among the bicycle routes that will be implemented are from Dataran Merdeka to Mid Valley (5.5 km), Wangsa Maju to Taman Melati (4 km) and from Wangsa Maju to Taman Batu Muda (2 km). As reported last month, DBKL has allocated RM5 million to expand the network of cycling paths in the capital. Bicycle lanes along MRT tracks are also being considered.

KL’s first dedicated bicycle path is the stretch from Mid Valley to Dataran Merdeka. Opened in April, the route – which passes through the Klang River, Brickfields, the Kompleks Dayabumi compound and Lebuh Pasar Besar – was planned using information gathered by the Cycling Kuala Lumpur independent initiative.