A foreign man who’s on a mission to cycle from Singapore all the way to Alaska went viral in Malaysia recently after suffering a bit of a setback recently while in our country.
The man, Luca Montoya from Germany shared via TikTok how he was stopped and hauled up by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) for trying to cycle across the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge in Penang.
The video, which has gotten over 560,000 views as of the time of writing showed Montoya cycling from Batu Kawan to around the halfway point of the bridge. He was then stopped by the police who told him to wait for another vehicle which would transport him across the bridge to Penang Island.
In the caption of the video, Montoya shared,
“The bridge has a length of 22km and is the longest bridge of Southeast Asia. I made it half the way and stopped to get some video footage, of me cycling this massive bridge.
“As soon as I wanted to continue, I got stopped by the police. They told me that it isn’t allowed to cross the bridge by bike and they never saw anyone else before trying it.”
@unknown.route A few days ago I had to cross the bridge from Batu Kawa to Penang Island. I had no idea if itâs allowed to cross that bridge by bicycle or not, so I just tried it out. It was pretty hot around 1pm so I put an extra layer of sunscreen and got excited to arrive soon in Georgetown to meet up with some friends. The bridge has a length of 22km and is the longest bridge of Southeast Asia. I made it half the way and stopped to get some video footage, of me cycling this massive bridge. As soon as I wanted to continue, I got stopped by the police. They told me that it isnât allowed to cross the bridge by bike and they never saw anyone else before trying it. They were very friendly to me and apologized to stop my little adventure ? The only solution was to get transported by a car to the other side of the bridge. I waited for like an hour until a truck of the police arrived to pick me up. – Moments like that â€ïž In Germany they wouldâve probably take my driving license away and let me pay a fine of 500⏠and here in Malaysia, they just cared about my security and health. They also took some photos of me and my bike and wished me all the best for my travel. #cycling #bikepacking #biking #biketok #fyp ⏠In the Aeroplane Over the Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel
He further shared how friendly the police officers were and how they even apologised to him for stopping his little adventure. Montoya then had to wait around an hour for a police truck to haul him up across the bridge.
He then compared the Malaysian police to the ones back in Germany, saying,
“In Germany, they would’ve probably taken my driving license away and let me pay a fine of EUR500 (RM2403) and here in Malaysia, they just cared about my security and health.
“They also took some photos of me and my bike and wished me all the best for my travel.”
In case you didn’t know, it is prohibited to cycle on the Penang Bridge or any other highways in Malaysia without permission from PDRM or the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM). Failure to do so may incur action under Section 54(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 which prescribes a punishment of a fine between RM1,000 to RM5,000 or a prison term of up to 12 months.
So, what do you guys think of the little misadventure that the German cyclist faced on the Penang Bridge? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
Also read: Singaporean Delivery Rider Earns RM2,800 in 2 Days, Says He Takes Up 70 Orders in Total
