Following calls for the banning of the ubiquitous kapchai on Malaysian roads, a proposal the speed limit underbone motorcycles be limited to70 km/h has emerged. However, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke has said such a proposal has to be studied from all angles and the extent of its implementation.

“We know there are proposals to limit the speed of kapchais but in the Malaysian context it involves many motorcycle owners, perhaps as many as 10 million,” Loke said in a Bernama report quoted by Berita Harian Online. Speaking as a guest on a Bernama Radio show, Loke said he was not rejecting the proposal out of hand but any decision made (by the ministry) would have far reaching consequences.

Previously, Loke had said banning kapchais on Malaysian roads would not be practical nor would they be barred from using toll highways. Calls for the banning and limiting the speed of kapchais had previously been made by an alleged motorcycle safety advocacy group named Safety First who appear to have the attention of the authorities despite not showing any provenance or credentials with respect to motorcycles.

-paultan