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Youth and Sports Ministry engages cyclists, authorities in bid to create safer cycling environments

Key findings from this morning’s engagement session between the Youth and Sports Ministry, government agencies and cycling groups will be presented to the Transport Ministry soon.

Enthusiasts raised valid points as they were eager to help the ministry find a balance between promoting an active lifestyle while ensuring the safety of cyclists and other road users.

This morning’s meeting was held after Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said last week the ministry would get feedback from community riders and the related authorities.

“Reezal is in Sabah now ahead of the state election. As such, the discussion was chaired by the ministry’s secretary-general (Datuk M. Noor Azman Taib) and attended by representatives of the Malaysian Cycling Federation, some 20 cycling clubs mostly based in the Klang Valley, Transport Ministry, Road Transport Department and Malaysian Highway Authority,” said a source who attended the meeting.

“It was an open discussion. Several interesting recommendations were made, mostly about educating cyclists and other road users. There were also concerns about the need to relook at laws and to have clarity as to where individuals and groups can cycle.”

It is understood that representatives from several cycling clubs agreed there was no need to spend money creating dedicated lanes, citing the bicycle lane in the heart of Kuala Lumpur which is underutilised.

Questions were also raised as to which highways were cycling-friendly, based on the design of the highway and the average speeds recorded by motorised vehicles using those expressways.

Calls have been made to ban cycling on highways. Police meanwhile have reminded Malaysians not to cycle on highways as this is banned under the Road Transport Act 1987. If caught, they face a fine of up to RM2,000.

Reezal Merican is expected to meet Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong “within the next week or two” to present the feedback from the cycling community.

Reezal Merican had met Wee on Sept 18 to discuss the same issue. After the meeting, Reezal Merican said there was a need to strike a balance so as not to discourage people from cycling while ensuring the safety of motorists.

Cycling has become a popular pastime in recent times, more so after the partial lockdown which was implemented on March 18, was relaxed in June.

Finance Minister Senator Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, Air Asia chief executive officer Riad Asmat and former national squash star Azlan Iskandar are among the thousands who enjoy the activity.

Here’s a round-up of The News Normal today.

MAID ABUSER TO SERVE PRISON TIME

Housewife Rozita Mohamad Ali, 46, will serve jail time in the Kajang women’s prison starting today after the Court of Appeal dismissed her bid to set aside her eight-year jail sentence for abusing her Indonesian maid in 2016.

A three-man bench, led by judge Datuk Seri Kamaludin Md Said, unanimously ruled that the High Court was correct in its decision against Rozita which was meted out on March 29, 2018.

MUM, BOYFRIEND TO HANG FOR BOY’S MURDER

The Penang High Court sentenced housewife T. Gayathry, 36, and her 30-year-old boyfriend R. Saravanan to death by hanging over the murder of Gayathry’s five-year-old son in 2014.

Judicial Commissioner Datuk Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh, in his judgment, said the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt.

Gayathry and Saravanan were jointly charged with the murder of S. Kaviarasan at a house in Taman Keladi in Kulim, Kedah, between 8am on Sept 20, 2014 and 4.05pm on Sept 27, 2014.

Kaviarasan’s body was found wrapped in a blanket at an oil palm estate in Butterworth on Sept 29, 2014.

PM NEEDS TO PROVE HE HAS MAJORITY, SAYS DR M

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the onus is on Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to prove he still has majority support in Parliament following Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s claim that he now has the numbers.

Dr Mahathir said Anwar’s claim of having majority support is secondary but must be eventually proven too. He also pointed out that Muhyiddin enjoyed a wafer-thin majority and if one or two Umno MPs turned their backs on Muhyiddin, he would lose his majority.

SELANGOR SHOULD STOP LAME BOAST OF CALLING JDT RIVALS

Selangor FA claims to be Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) rival but in reality the Klang Valley outfit is a far cry from its nickname the Red Giants, writes Muhammad Yunus Zakariah.

He added that unsubstantiated claims, boasting about a football club being better and special, and lack of interest by fans, can be considered overselling components that can kill an institution.