Motorcyclists on Sidewalks: Because Walking Space Is Apparently Optional
In Malaysia, pedestrians are an endangered species—not because they’re disappearing, but because motorcyclists are hunting their habitat. Nothing screams “developing nation energy” louder than a grown adult on a 150cc kapchai zooming across a sidewalk like they’re auditioning for Fast & Furious: Pavement Drift. Sidewalks were designed for feet, not exhaust pipes, but tell that to the average rempit-wannabe and watch them stare back with the confusion of a man asked to solve quantum physics.
Every Malaysian pedestrian knows the fear. You’re walking peacefully, minding your own business, when suddenly vroooom—a motorbike cuts past you so closely the wind hits your face before the realisation does. The rider looks at you like you’re the one invading their lane. And if you dare glare? Congratulations, you’ve just earned the “Apa tengok?!” death stare, free of charge.
These sidewalk invaders always have the same excuses.
“Shortcut lah, bro.”
“Jam, jam.”
“Just one minute.”
One minute? Your one minute is my near-death experience. But selfish convenience trumps basic civility every time. That’s the Malaysian magic formula: if it saves them 30 seconds, they will sacrifice 30 pedestrians.
Let’s examine the species more closely.
There’s The Snake, who slithers through narrow walkways like a professional contortionist, honking at pedestrians to “move aside,” because clearly flesh and bone must yield to two wheels and entitlement.
There’s The Delivery Missile, armed with hot food and zero patience, racing through crowds as if late satay justifies manslaughter.
And of course, The Pavement Prince, who treats sidewalks as his personal red carpet, cruising slowly with the swagger of a man performing a royal parade.
And what about enforcement? A beautiful myth. You’re more likely to witness a unicorn riding a unicycle than see authorities penalising a motorcyclist on the sidewalk. Even when caught, the punishment is a polite gesture or a half-hearted scolding, which the rider absorbs with the remorse of a cat knocking a vase off a table.
The backward-minded logic is always the same: roads are for cars, shoulders are for motorbikes, and sidewalks are… bonus roads. Why respect pedestrian space when you can colonise it? Malaysia Boleh, kan?
But here’s the real punchline: sidewalks are already tiny, cracked, uneven, and half-blocked by illegal stalls, signboards, and decorative nonsense. Motorcyclists riding on them is the final insult—a reminder that in Malaysia, walking is an extreme sport.
Solution? Simple. Put retractable steel bollards. Create traps. Lay down spikes. Or, more realistically, enforce the law like our lives actually matter. Until then, walking on Malaysian sidewalks remains exactly what it feels like: a high-stakes gamble rigged by selfish, unlearned, backward-minded riders who think the world is just one big motor lane.
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