Inspector Jong and her colleagues experiencing what it is like being in a wheelchair while navigating Kuala Lumpur’s roads.
Enforcement personnel in Kuala Lumpur had the chance to experience the city streets from the perspectives of vulnerable road users.
They were taking part in a training programme, “Fundamentals of Safer Street Design”.
Emphasising street design, the programme aimed to provide safer road facilities for groups such as pedestrians, cyclists, children and people with disabilities.
It included presentations on enforcement of safe speeds and street infrastructure.
Participants also took part in a walkabout around Petaling Street and had the chance to use reverse periscopes.
A reverse periscope is a cardboard-and-mirrors device that lets adults experience streets from a child’s height.
The training gave them the opportunity to experience the streets as able-bodied pedestrians, wheelchair users and the visually-impaired who use walking sticks.
About 40 participants comprising police and JPJ personnel posing with the organiser of the Fundamentals of Safer Street Design programme.
The officers had to navigate with reduced mobility and take notes of the obstacles they faced, ranging from vehicles illegally parked on the pavement to the lack of zebra crossings.
Part of the training was also about the role of enforcement in ensuring street designs work as intended.
This included towing illegally parked vehicles and penalising drivers who jump the red light or exceed speed limits.
The course was in collaboration with the police through its Royal Malaysia Police College and the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI) under the Bloomberg Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS).
BIGRS trained around 40 participants, including police and Road Transport Department (JPJ) personnel.
Workshops were based on GDCI’s “Global Street Design Guide” that was translated into Bahasa Malaysia last year.
Using the guide’s principles, designers can transform Kuala Lumpur into a pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly city.
They will also be able to ensure public transit systems are safe, affordable and accessible.
GDCI programme manager and workshops leader Jashwanth Tej Kasala explained that the training aimed to provide officers with firsthand understanding of the diversity of street users and the challenges they encounter on Malaysian roads.
“By using the reverse periscope, officers can see the world from a child’s height of 95cm, revealing the shortcomings of streets designed primarily for adults.
“When we build and design streets with children in mind, they become safer for everyone,” he said.
Inspector Jong Pit Chiao, one of the police officers that tried a wheelchair on the day, said it made her realise she could not navigate through the city streets without her colleagues’ help, as there were inadequate pavements and ramps.
“The course made me realise how street design can make users behave better and navigate safely, without needing in-person enforcement to monitor if they’re following the rules,” she said.
Another participant, Dr Jaya Prakash from JPJ Inspection and Safety Audit, said road design was often a missing part in enforcement efforts.
He called for better-designed roads that would direct behaviours, like how narrow roads made speeding less attractive and forced drivers to focus.
