You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Cycling Malaysia / Kuala Lumpur / Cycling The River of Life - Brickfields Loop
AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Kuala Lumpur: Cycling The River of Life - Brickfields Loop
Dataran Merdeka to Chow Kit & Dataran Merdeka to Brickfields Cycling Lanes 2021
Cycling in Kuala Lumpur is getting more exciting with the authorities making more earnest efforts in providing cycling lanes that are interesting and safe to ride along. Sure, some of these lanes are shared lanes, but one can't really complain and these shared sections go through some of the most beautiful parts of the city - one that runs along some of the city's major rivers and is aptly called Kuala Lumpur River of Life Cycling Paths.
The River of Life (RoL). initiated in 2012, is a seven-year project to transform the Klang River (and it's feeder rivers) into a vibrant and live-able waterfront with high economic value. Covering eight (8) rivers with total length of 110km, this project is divided into three (3) major components i.e. River Cleaning (led by Department of Irrigation & Drainage (DID) Malaysia), River Beautification (led Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL)) and Commercialisation and Tourism (led Ministry of Federal Territory (KWP)). The project seems to have faltered, but of late (these past two years), it's revitalized and kicked started again with newly built stretches at Chow Kit & Brickfields. Let's hope that, the construction & development will continue on and hit the targeted 110 km.! Nevertheless, even at this completion stage it has been listed as one of the Top 10 Best Waterfront by UK's the Independent.
 |
| At the cycling lanes facing Dataran Merdeka. |
Then in 2018, in conjunction with the 9th World Urban Forum (WUF9), the Phase 2 of the Kuala Lumpur Cycling Lanes were launched. This is a 6.80 kilometer loop that starts from Medan Pasar and leads to the Petronas Twin Towers via Jalan Raja Chulan and Jalan P. Ramlee, with a return leg via Jalan Ampang, Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Raja Laut.
The latest upgrade are an extension of these lanes via the RoL project, has seen much improvement with better construction and routing, do note that at certain stretches these lanes are shared lanes with pedestrians.
Okay, enough of playing tourist, lets get down to cycling. This one to the Brickfields Loop!
___________________________________________________________________________
KUALA LUMPUR RIVER OF LIFE BRICKFIELDS CYCLING ROUTE
KUALA LUMPUR RIVER OF LIFE: BRICKFIELDS LOOP CYCLING ROUTE MAP:
This is a easy flat route that goes mostly along cycling pedestrian paths running along the Klang River. Starting from Dataran Merdeka, it goes along shared lanes to the Pasar Seni before cutting onto cycling lanes leading to Brickfields and ahead to the South-West Dedicated Cycling Highway before looping back across the Robson Bridge onto lanes running beside the Federal Highway Riverside. After which it goes down into the Park Harmoni pedestrian roundabout (below Jalan Kinabalu) to lead to the Taman Budaya and then back to Dataran Merdeka.
Cycling Distance: 12.13 km. Level: Easy
Places of Interest En-route (click on coordinates for directions) :
- Bellamy Urban Orchard Park (Taman Dusun Bandar) (GPS: 3.13018, 101.69514)..
Instead of straight off to head for Brickfields, take a short tour of the surrounding locality, there are several interesting places to see, so take your time.
Start off from Kilometre Zero milestone and head to the pedestrian crossing that takes us to a brick-paved side lane on the left of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (as seen in the Google Street View above). This lane is the entry point to the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad Gardens; where can be seen a Moroccan Reflecting Pool beautifully reflecting the Sultan Ahmad Samad Building Clock Tower, which some dubbed the Big Ben of Kuala Lumpur.
If your timing is right (usually at mid-morning and dusk), pipes along the river wall will spray aerosol water droplets and the whole area will be shrouded in a mist.
(Warning: do take note of the diagonal joint of the timber boardwalk and the paver bricks seen above. The acute slant joint and the uneven surface have cause many a cyclists to slip and fall).
At night, usually after dusk, this whole area is illuminated in glowing blue light that adds a mysterious aura to the place.
Take a pause here to admire the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad Gardens and view the reflecting pool leading to the clock tower, as can be seen in the Google Street View seen above.
The River of Life (RoL) aims at rejuvenating life in the rivers, although the river at this section is now much cleaner and almost cleared of debris, it is still muddy despite de-silting by several retention point silt traps up-river. For the meantime, to simulated this life, an artificial "Blue River" filled with Japanese Koi runs for a short stretch along the trail here.
From here will be the best view of the Masjid Jamek of Kuala Lumpur, especially at night when the blue lights are out and the misty aura makes this like a scene from the Arabian Nights.
This mosque is where Kuala Lumpur has it's roots and also how it got it's name. Explorers looking for tin would come up river from Port Klang to get to the tin mines further up river; but when they reached this confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers, their boats could not proceed any further as it was to muddy, and they had to continue on foot. Soon a settlement started here and grew to become the present day city which was named after this muddy confluence, i.e. Kuala Lumpur which means "muddy confluence" in Malay.
Click here for a Google Street View Masjid Jamek.
And then loop down to the boardwalk on the other side of the river .....
Leaving the viewpoint platform, we exited the dedicated paths and go onto shared lanes along Lebuh Pasar Besar.
A close up view of the "Colonial Era: wall mural.
..... for a closer look at the "Jungle" mural and have some fun with the elephants there!
Although it's called Medan Pasar (Market Square in English), presently there is no market; but back during the founding days THERE WAS a market here, one that was just next to the confluence of the rivers.
(This was not the case previously, there was a nice pathway that started just next to the Agrobank-Menara Patriot at Lebuh Pasar Besar, and ran along the upper bank of the Klang River up till just below the General Post Office to cross over Jalan Tun Sambanthan. It had been closed for renovation few years back and has re-opened since. See green line on map & an earlier blog)
But while we are looping and loofing around here, it could be interesting to detour to the nearby Chinatown precinct of Petaling Street where street vendors occupy the whole road. It is seen in the above photo, sans the street during the later hours of the night.
Okay, time to stop being tourists and get back to cycling; time to pull ourselves from the old core of the city and continue on the cycling trail.
Passing by Pasar Seni (KL Central Market), just after the Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock/Jalan Hang Kasturi traffic lights, we start onto Jalan Tun Sambanthan. And it is here that we have to be on the look out for the gap that leads back to the dedicated cycling lanes along the Klang River, as seen at the above Google Street View. It's that section on the left of the trees next to the river.
Ahead is a signalized crossing over Jalan Sultan Sulaiman; it has traffic light with bicycle icons specially for cyclists. The above Google Street View shows this crossing with the bright blue cycling lanes that leads back down to pathways along the river.
(Click here for a Ride Blog that goes to the Bellamy Park).
Here one has to be careful, the dedicated cycling lane continues through a small opening next to the house; if unfamiliar just follow the blue cycling lanes.
That little opening opens up to very nice and proper cycling lanes that runs on boardwalk next to the Klang River (yes we are back at the river!). This is the start of the South-West Dedicated Bicycle Highway.
Not to far ahead, a quick stop at the PR1MA Brickfields for some pictures with the Copper Tree. Although this tree sculpture is in a private property, let's hope that in future it will still be open to the public as it is such a unique tree.
Beyond the bridge and continuing straight along the lanes will lead one to Mid-Valley and then to a round-a-bout with one fork leading to the motorcycle lanes that continue onwards to Klang (see KL-Klang blog). The other fork will lead to Old Klang Road & Taman Seputeh (see KL-Seputeh blog).
Unfortunately, to avoid the busy ramps at the Jalan Syed Putra-Jalan Damansara intersection; we will have to use the Puay Chai High School pedestrian bridge to cross over back to the Brickfields side and ride along the lanes there to go up to Jalan Sultan Sulaiman. But instead of continuing to where we started at Jalan Tun Sambanthan, we make a right here to get back onto Jalan Sultan Sulaiman and then a left back onto Jalan Syed Putra - here there a pedestrian ramps that will lead down to the lower level of the Park Harmoni roundabout.
Above Google Street view shows where this ramp is located, i.e. slightly in front of the excavator.
For better visualization of the place, here's a Google Street View of the roundabout looking down into Park Harmoni, with the various entry points leading into it; presently it's fairly clean but rather quiet as not many know about it or uses it. The road running over it is the Jalan Kinabalu Flyover; completed in 1965, it's the first flyover built in the country.
This historical place was the place where a lot of culture shows were presented until the new Istana Budaya (meaning Palace of Culture) was opened in 1999.
ARE YOU READY TO CONTINUE ON TO THE RIVER OF LIVE: CHOW KIT LOOP?
OR explore the newer Chow Kit West Bank Cycling Trails!
Click here for Cycling KL River of Life Brickfields Loop Tiktok video.
See below, an interesting You Tube video on the Brickfields & Chow Kit River of Life trails by cyclist Heng Choo Chian.
___________________________________________________________________________
Related/Similar Blogs:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
___________________________________________________________________________
You are at - Jotaro's Blog / AhPek Biker / Cycling Malaysia / Kuala Lumpur / Cycling The River of Life - Brickfields Loop
If you like this, view my other blogs at Jotaro's Blog
(comments most welcomed below. if you like this pls share via facebook or twitter)