New bike lanes are appearing all around the state, and local authorities have a master plan to turn the island into a haven for bike riders.
It’s 10 in the morning on a golden Sunday, and around 10 people have streamed into Starbucks along Jalan Tanjung Tokong. They've just finished a 47km round-trip that began at daybreak in Tanjung Bungah, and which took them through the hilly terrain of Teluk Bahang towards the Tropical Fruit Farm – an area named “800” for its number of feet above sea level.
It’s a curious cast of city folk wearing black tights, helmets and brightly-coloured shoes wheeling in scores of souped-up bicycles. They are members of G Club Penang – cyclists who, along with an estimated 700 other Penangites, wake up early on weekends to pedal along different routes around the state.
The club was first launched in 2009 – a small group of cyclists gathered outside G Hotel for a joyride to Teluk Bahang. It was the brainchild of Dr Lim Seh Guan, a cycling enthusiast whose visit to Lyon, France the year before opened his eyes to new possibilities. “I started cycling everywhere in Lyon. I realized Lyon was a lot like George Town – narrow roads and everything is near.” Upon his return, Lim championed the idea of bicycle lanes to the newly-elected state government, and received a favorable proposal. “If we could get 500 people to ride at our event, they said the CM (Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng) himself would come and ride with us. So I accepted the challenge.” At the inaugural “Campaign For A Lane” (CFAL) in 2009, he broke the mark: 700 cyclists turned up in support.
Since then, its growth has been exponential. Last year, over 3,000 people participated in the fifth edition of CFAL, and new events such as this year’s “Ride for Sight 2014” that championed the cause of the visually-impaired saw around 1,500 cyclists. Couple this with the number of tourists and locals renting bicycles for rides around George Town, and the trend is obvious: Penangites are taking to bicycles like children to Christmas morning.
