6.

During the first months of 2004 Professor Frobse and a team of the Center of Health

of the German Sports Academy of Cologne have released "Cycling and Health", the most extensive compendium of research ever compiled on the effects of cycling on general health and well-being. Supported by Selle Royal, this research is aimed at promoting cycling though a better understanding of the health benefits cycling brings that is on the joints, the back, the cardiovascular system and the immune system. There are many health benefits that are associated with cycling. A few of the major benefits including cycling builds strength and muscle tone, increases muscle tone, builds stamina, improves cardio-vascular fitness, eats up calories, improves heart health, improves coordination and finally cycling can reduce stress. In Malaysia, especially in our housing area, residences still take precaution to do this kind of healthy activity for a several reasons. This is because, we still lack of facilities to cycle in a safe condition. The main purpose why I prepared this proposal is to describe the strong reason why our housing area should have bicycle lanes so that those who want to cycle can do so without any harm besides living in healthy life. Bike lanes are defined as "a portion of the roadway which has been designated by striping, signing and pavement marking for the preferential or exclusive use by bicyclists". Bicycle lanes make the movements of both motorists and bicyclists more predictable and as with other bicycle facilities there are advantages to all road users in striping them on the roadway. Bicycle-friendly cities such as Madison, Eugene, Davis, Gainesville, and Palo Alto have developed extensive bike lane networks since the 1970s and more recently large cities such as Tucson, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle have begun to stripe bike lanes on their arterial and collector streets as a way of encouraging bicycle use. The importance of bicycle lanes in our housing area is to ensure that each level of age who do this kind of activity secured without any incidents such as being hit by others vehicle who used the same road path. Nobody will be blamed if there is an accident between cyclist and other vehicle if our housing area has bicycle lanes. As person who always concern on residents safety, we also can introduce penalties for those who endanger cyclists by parking their vehicles on bicycle routes in future. All of us know that, our residence area has the largest occupants. This is because our residence area nearer to school (primary and secondary), mosque and also shop lot. With the conjunction of largest occupants, many of them choose to drive, even for short journeys, to schools or town. Therefore, it is the most contribute to traffic congestion during peak hours
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and also weekends. But, let think twice, if we have bicycle lane in our housing area, residents can choose to cycle to town, children also cycle happily to school with all their friends and if this happened the number of traffic can be reduced. There is also reducing the numbers of car in our town because for short-distance travel, cycling is actually better than driving because it saves time, petrol, reduces your carbon footprint and is healthier and with designated bike lanes that separated from the main road, itll be safer for children to cycle to schools and residents to cycle to town. Furthermore, if our housing area has bicycle lane, there is benefits to pedestrians also. Bicycle lane normally greater separation from traffic especially in the absence of on-street parking or a planter strip, increasing comfort and safety for their users. This is important to young children walking, playing or riding their bikes on curbside sidewalks. It is also an advantage for old-folks. As a result, it is important to our housing area to have bicycle lane. Besides, giving priority to the road safety and drivers, it is also give us advantage of living in a healthy life. Having bicycle lane not only benefits cyclist but the safety is improved for pedestrians due to the buffer space provided by bike lanes between sidewalks and traffic. Pedestrian safety is also improved because bicyclists are more likely to ride in bike lanes rather than on sidewalks. Parents who are busy in their workplace no need to worry about their children who cycle to school because the safety methods already have implied. All they need is minor protection for their children such as by using suitable cycling helmets and also body protection for your childrens knees, elbows, wrists, shins and even full body.

(765 words)

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