By Alvin Teo
EchoAlvin@gmail.com
“Roads are meant for vehicles. Cyclists should keep to designated areas” said 27 year old motorist, Mr Win Lee when asked by the Straits Times about his close shave with cyclists on the road where he had to skid to a halt to avoid hitting a cyclist.
Cycling as a form of daily commute has been on a steep rise over recent years, be it as an economical solution amidst the economic downturn, a healthier and faster way to get to work or a more environmentally friendly form of transport. More people are ditching their cars or public transport for the convenience and sensibilities of a 2 wheeled metal frame.
Mr Mohan Mirwani, director of Treknology, a chain of bicycle shops in Singapore, says that sales of hybrid bicycles have increased about 5 to 10 percent year on year over the past 2 to 3 years. A sales person from L&T bicycles, a famous bicycle shop in Bedok, who did not want to be named, noted an increase in Mountain bike sales over the past year.
Unfortunately with the increase in the number of cyclists on the road, it inevitably leads to the increase of cycling related accidents.
Between January and September 2009, 15 cyclists died from road accidents. For the whole of 2008 the number of cycling related accidents on the road was 22, just 1 less than the number of motoring accidents.
However whose fault is it? Drivers like Mr Win Lee are quick to point their fingers at reckless cyclists while many other cyclists complain of inconsiderate drivers who furiously honk at them or speed right past them.
2 weeks ago in parliament, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Mesagoes Zulkifli said cyclists were found to be at fault in more than half of the accidents involving bicycles.
“I was cycling to school one afternoon somewhere in the Khaki Bukit area. When I was cycling across a junction (that had no traffic light), a van that did not bother to stop and look just turned into the junction. If I had not stop in time I’m confident that I would have been killed”, recalls Mr Alfred Lau. Not only did the van driver not stop for Mr Lau, he also winded down his window to shout at him.
Therefore it seems like both car drivers and cyclists are both at fault for cycling related accidents on the road and without proper statistics it is hard to tell where the fault lies more with.
One thing everyone can agree upon is that pointing fingers will not decrease the accident rate of cyclists. What are some possible solutions to this problem?
With the threat of big motor vehicles, many cyclists choose the safety of pavements. However cyclists by law are not allowed to cycle on pavements as they are considered vehicles and would be a danger to pedestrians. Therefore the true designated area for all cyclists is on the tarmac along with their 4 wheeled motorised counterparts.
Tampines GRC members ushering in the first cycling town in Singapore
Currently Tampines is set to be the only town in Singapore to be ‘cyclist friendly’. From the 1st of March onwards, cyclists in Tampines would be allowed to share pavements and walkways with pedestrians. This comes after a 2 year trail to see if both cyclists and pedestrians can coexist peacefully on the pavements.
Therefore should more districts around Singapore follow Tampines’s example?
26 year old Miss Karin Tijin, a Public Relations Officer, seems to think so, “If the cyclists are careful and not speed, I think it’s a good idea to allow them to cycle on the pavements. It will save them from the horrors of the road because I’ve had so many friends complain about stupid drivers who almost knock into them”.
But now everyone is as accommodating as Miss Tijin. Many pedestrians on forums such as this: http://comment.straitstimes.com/showthread.php?t=27948 are strongly against the idea of allowing cyclist to share pavement space with pedestrians. Many feel that inconsiderate cyclists pose a threat to the elderly and the young.
Cycle lanes were another possible solution proposed by many cyclists on forums. The idea was inspired from London, a car congested city like Singapore with lanes at the left side of the road designated specially for cyclists. This is both law abiding and adds to the safety of cyclists.
However, the LTA tells the Straits Times that it needs to “ensure our roads are optimally utilised to meet the diverse needs of all road users and pedestrians”. This basically means that with the introduction of cycling lanes, it will cut down the space for drivers therefore it is not feasible.
It seems like there are still no clear cut answers as to where cyclists should be allowed.
By law they would have to stay on the roads but many fear for their safety as they are no match for inconsiderate drivers who don’t want them there.
If they are on the pavements pedestrians complain about the dangers cyclists pose.
Where or not there will be a proper place for cyclists in the future will be of continuous debate. The only safety measure that can be put in place now is for everyone to be considerate be it on the road or on the pavements.
EchoAlvin@gmail.com
“Roads are meant for vehicles. Cyclists should keep to designated areas” said 27 year old motorist, Mr Win Lee when asked by the Straits Times about his close shave with cyclists on the road where he had to skid to a halt to avoid hitting a cyclist.
Cycling as a form of daily commute has been on a steep rise over recent years, be it as an economical solution amidst the economic downturn, a healthier and faster way to get to work or a more environmentally friendly form of transport. More people are ditching their cars or public transport for the convenience and sensibilities of a 2 wheeled metal frame.
Mr Mohan Mirwani, director of Treknology, a chain of bicycle shops in Singapore, says that sales of hybrid bicycles have increased about 5 to 10 percent year on year over the past 2 to 3 years. A sales person from L&T bicycles, a famous bicycle shop in Bedok, who did not want to be named, noted an increase in Mountain bike sales over the past year.
Unfortunately with the increase in the number of cyclists on the road, it inevitably leads to the increase of cycling related accidents.
Between January and September 2009, 15 cyclists died from road accidents. For the whole of 2008 the number of cycling related accidents on the road was 22, just 1 less than the number of motoring accidents.
However whose fault is it? Drivers like Mr Win Lee are quick to point their fingers at reckless cyclists while many other cyclists complain of inconsiderate drivers who furiously honk at them or speed right past them.
2 weeks ago in parliament, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Mesagoes Zulkifli said cyclists were found to be at fault in more than half of the accidents involving bicycles.
“I was cycling to school one afternoon somewhere in the Khaki Bukit area. When I was cycling across a junction (that had no traffic light), a van that did not bother to stop and look just turned into the junction. If I had not stop in time I’m confident that I would have been killed”, recalls Mr Alfred Lau. Not only did the van driver not stop for Mr Lau, he also winded down his window to shout at him.
Therefore it seems like both car drivers and cyclists are both at fault for cycling related accidents on the road and without proper statistics it is hard to tell where the fault lies more with.
One thing everyone can agree upon is that pointing fingers will not decrease the accident rate of cyclists. What are some possible solutions to this problem?
With the threat of big motor vehicles, many cyclists choose the safety of pavements. However cyclists by law are not allowed to cycle on pavements as they are considered vehicles and would be a danger to pedestrians. Therefore the true designated area for all cyclists is on the tarmac along with their 4 wheeled motorised counterparts.
Tampines GRC members ushering in the first cycling town in SingaporeCurrently Tampines is set to be the only town in Singapore to be ‘cyclist friendly’. From the 1st of March onwards, cyclists in Tampines would be allowed to share pavements and walkways with pedestrians. This comes after a 2 year trail to see if both cyclists and pedestrians can coexist peacefully on the pavements.
Therefore should more districts around Singapore follow Tampines’s example?
26 year old Miss Karin Tijin, a Public Relations Officer, seems to think so, “If the cyclists are careful and not speed, I think it’s a good idea to allow them to cycle on the pavements. It will save them from the horrors of the road because I’ve had so many friends complain about stupid drivers who almost knock into them”.
But now everyone is as accommodating as Miss Tijin. Many pedestrians on forums such as this: http://comment.straitstimes.com/showthread.php?t=27948 are strongly against the idea of allowing cyclist to share pavement space with pedestrians. Many feel that inconsiderate cyclists pose a threat to the elderly and the young.
Cycle lanes were another possible solution proposed by many cyclists on forums. The idea was inspired from London, a car congested city like Singapore with lanes at the left side of the road designated specially for cyclists. This is both law abiding and adds to the safety of cyclists.
However, the LTA tells the Straits Times that it needs to “ensure our roads are optimally utilised to meet the diverse needs of all road users and pedestrians”. This basically means that with the introduction of cycling lanes, it will cut down the space for drivers therefore it is not feasible.
It seems like there are still no clear cut answers as to where cyclists should be allowed.
By law they would have to stay on the roads but many fear for their safety as they are no match for inconsiderate drivers who don’t want them there.
If they are on the pavements pedestrians complain about the dangers cyclists pose.
Where or not there will be a proper place for cyclists in the future will be of continuous debate. The only safety measure that can be put in place now is for everyone to be considerate be it on the road or on the pavements.
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