KUCHING: The Kuching Car Free Morning programme organised by Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) has been received well and it is not difficult to see why.
As the Sunday morning mist lifted, Padang Merdeka came alive with people of all ages.
Many had travelled from far and wide to experience a morning in the city, without the hustle, bustle and fear of motorised vehicles.
The programme started as early as 6.30am and saw several road closures to allow people to cycle, run, jog, skate, skateboard or just enjoy a leisurely stroll.
Also, it is the perfect time to bond with family and friends, whether you choose to run, cycle, skate or just walk around taking in the sights of Kuching city.
“This is the first time that I see something of this scale done in our city,” said Afiff Abdullah, from Sungai Maong, who drove and parked at Taman Budaya.
“I encourage as many Kuching folk as possible to join in the fun and see the city from a different perspective,” he said.
Memories frozen in photos will then be shared online for his Facebook community.
As eating is Malaysia’s national pastime, after the ride, he and his friends adjourned to Jalan Satok for the famous beef noodles.
Eba Sanusi, 41, drove in specially from Stakan, Kota Sentosa to catch the twice-a-month programme and revelled in cycling alongside his wife and nine-year-old son on the roads leading to Plaza Merdeka Shopping Mall. They brought three bicycles using a rear car rack and parking was also conveniently available near the mall.
He said, due to the heavy traffic, they usually refrain from riding on roads and prefer mountain biking.
However, Kuching Car Free Morning provided them with a perfect worry-free opportunity for parents to run or cycle alongside their children as the streets had been cordoned off.
Meanwhile, for Dennis Sim, he said if there is a wide open space and chance to spend time outside, that’s a good direction to head to.
“I think it would be cool though if it was more ‘official’, it would be cool if it was more centralised as well,” said Sim, who works as an environmental consultant, about the effort to reduce carbon emission before hopping on his Citi bike.
Usually, he cycles for leisure with at least four different groups and it’s at the Kuching Car Free Morning that they get to rekindle their friendships.
According to him, one big benefit of cycling is that it allows him to fraternise and make friends from other racial groups, thus fostering racial harmony – on wheels!
Mothers were also seen happily pushing strollers while others took to skateboards and roller skates.
A group of runners ran past happily while enjoying the clean crisp cool morning air that you seldom get to experience in the city. Usually, they run in Taman Budaya, avoiding the city centre due to traffic.
One of them was Chan Hin Hou, who chose to park at St Joseph’s Cathedral grounds.
The programme allows them to run through the city breathing fresh air. They also had lots of time to take snapshots at various landmarks including the Sarawak Museum.
To the many people who ventured out into the city centre during the programme, several expressed mild befuddlement about the programme, despite being largely supportive of the overarching goal of carbon emission.
“I didn’t know about that,” said Mohd Hamzah about Kuching Car Free Morning.
“What’s going on down here?” he asked, more than two hours after the programme had officially begun.
“I wouldn’t want to do this, reduce carbon emission?” he said, after the idea of the programme was explained to him.
“It’s confusing,” said Bill Michael, who lives in Tabuan Jaya and was cycling downtown, about the programme’s concept.
He said reducing carbon emission was a worthy goal, but suggested it made more sense to go “all or nothing” in terms of, for example, whether cars should be allowed or restricted.
“It’s a significant step in the right direction,” said Abdallah Sudi, a Burundian footballer who plays as a striker for Malaysia Super League club Kuching City.
But he argued that removing gas-guzzling vehicles would work wonders like in Paris and London.
“Without question a car-free regulation is preferable and would absolutely work better and would reduce some of the ambiguity,” he said.
“It’s still worthwhile and I am glad the city is doing it.”
