Putrajaya mulls car-free KL roads for illegal racers

Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor says illegal racing is the only form of entertainment that 'mat rempits' can afford. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, February 22, 2016.The government may allow illegal racers or "mat rempit" to race in Kuala Lumpur at night by closing city roads to traffic, Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor said.

Calling them "mat motor" (motorcycle enthusiasts) instead, Tengku Adnan said the move would allow them to have entertainment.

"I don't want to call them mat rempit but mat motor, (and) I have one programme that I have discussed with my friends in Umno and Barisan Nasional.

"Probably in one week, one or two days we will give like a car-free day but only for 'mat motor' to race at night.

"We will control the situation because we realise that this is entertainment for them, they have no other means to entertain themselves due to high costs," he told reporters after officiating a new bridge connecting Kampung Batu Muda and Taman Metropolitan Batu in Kuala Lumpur today.

The Umno secretary-general, however, denied that the move would encourage more youngsters to become mat rempits.

"We will provide a suitable place and probably we will organise a fiesta, where we call food trucks and other things to help them so that they will not race illegally," he said.

He said previous efforts to encourage illegal motorcycle racers to use racing tracks at the Batu Tiga circuit in Shah Alam were futile as they liked to take their races to the streets.

This time, healthy activities related to their interests would be held to educate these enthusiasts, he said.

He gave example how they could benefit by learning more about their motorcycles.

"From there they can be mechanics, open workshops, (we) upgrade them.

"(If they) want to race okay, but we give a place where we can control and where we have safety barriers." – February 22, 2016.