MIRI: Miri City Council (MCC) will develop the remaining 12 kilometres of bicycle track from Miri City to Lutong, once funds are available.
Mayor Lawrence Lai said they were not able to complete the track as they had run out of funds.
“We have completed the first phase of about 5 kilometres from Taman Selera to the City near the Chinese Temple.
“The second and following phases up to City Fan and later to Bulatan Park and Lutong will be done once fund is available,” said Lai when asked by The Borneo Post during the recent 2nd Miri City Green Ride.
Without disclosing the cost, Lai said the project is one of MCC’s greening programmes in an effort to encourage the public to use bicycles to reduce air pollution besides getting people to take up a healthy lifestyle.
Meanwhile, Miri district police chief ACP Mun Kock Keong, who was among those taking part, commended the organisers, MCC and the Sarawak Northern Region Motorcycle and Bicycle Traders Association for organising the cycling event.
He said such event would not only bring the community together but encourage them to be involved in healthy activities.
“Police are supportive of all these kinds of programmes, healthy people and there will be less crime cases.
“Participants should also consist of young people, perhaps have different groups, and prizes should be high performance tyres, gears, then they look forward to it,” he said.
He also said he was mulling the idea of starting patrols on bicycles here like what he did in Kuching.
Mun and Lai were among the 450 cyclists taking part in the 2nd Miri City Green Ride to kick off the month-long May Fest 2013 to celebrate the 8th anniversary of Miri City.
The highlight of the celebration will be on this Saturday with the Green Walk around Miri City where over 12,000 have registered. Cyclists in the Green Ride will be cycling ahead of the participants in the Green Walk to be held from 5.30pm.