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'There is no such thing as safe-riding ... '

Cycling on pavements is not only illegal and dangerous, it is hard to regulate

Letter from Raymund Koh Joo Guan
05:55 AM Dec 22, 2009
I AM shocked that cycling on pavements has been legalised in the Tampines estate.

Such an act might also result in giving foreigners the wrong idea that cycling on pavements is legal throughout Singapore.

Cycling on pavements is an illegal act. It is also dangerous for unsuspecting pedestrians. Therefore, how is such a menace going be constantly kept in check?

I'm sure traffic wardens, Town Council traffic marshals or other volunteer wardens cannot be present round-the-clock to carry out enforcement.

I have written countless letters to the Traffic Police (TP) on the cycling menace around Hougang, Lorong Ah Soo and Serangoon estates but they do not seem to be very active in enforcement.

Neither are they deploying their Neighbourhood Police Post officers or traffic wardens to this cause.

I was shocked when I heard from a TP officer who said that - to his observations - the cyclists seen riding around my estate on the pavement were considered to be "safe-riding".

How does the TP define safe riding? What is the benchmark?

If "safe-riding" is allowed on pavements, wouldn't motorcyclists be considered to be riding safe as well when they ride on pavements in a traffic congestion?

There is no such thing as safe riding on pavements.

If there is, then there would exist "safe speeding" on our expressways.

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1 - 3 of 16 responses to "'There is no such thing as safe-riding ... '"
Pedestrian
Updated 07:40 AM December 26, 2009
SSC,

I fully sympathise with you. For donkey years cycling was illegal on our footpaths. They knew it was dangerous to have cyclists and pedestrians, especially young children, sharing the footpaths.

Because these Chinese and Indian nationals cycle to and from work, they make it legal, for Tampines, at least. Amending rules to suit foreigners here seems to be the fashionable thing to do now.

Many times, I have encountered these foreign workers cycling as fast as the can while passing a bus stop. I can understand that they want to go home quickly but accident can happen.

As you have mentioned, nobody follows the law in Shanghai and these people may think the same thing applies here.

There have been many instances where I could have been knocked down by one of these foreigners. Things are certainly becoming very bad here but the sad part is that the situation will only get worse.
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SSC
Updated 08:22 AM December 25, 2009
Raymond, I agree with you. We have little children, and had to move from the CBD area into a condo in the middle of nowhere because there were too many cyclists and motorbikers cycling through the playground, on narrow footpaths. The number of times there had been close accidents were too many. You can get off a bus and be hit (we’ve seen it), you can walk on the pavement and the motorists ride with the exhaust 1 cm away from your leg and the pram. Pedestrians and cyclists sharing the same footpath is the dumbest, most ineffective and dangerous idea there is, especially with the foreigners zipping around like they own the footpaths. Ever been to the crowded city of Shanghai? – Cyclists and pedestrians share the same footpaths and it is a blinking nightmare. When all of Singapore becomes like that, I will give up my citizenship, together with our children’s and migrate, because Singapore will then be a third world country where you cant even walk on the pavement in peace.
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El
Updated 03:36 PM December 23, 2009
I live in Tampines and I cycle regularly around the estate, as do many residents in Tampines. While I suppose there would be the occassional accidents, most of the cyclists are mature and responsible. Tampines is a very populous estate, to the point that if cycling was not allowed on pedestrains, the bus services would be inadequte to cater to the commuting needs of the residents. And as a cyclist, I do not like to cycle on roads as the drivers seem to be unable to see the cyclist, or simply refuse to give way. What I have observed in Tampines is that that most cyclists do to give way and slow down to pedestrians. It's a matter of community spirit building. And since most families in Tampines own bicycles, I think we have learnt to give and take, and to be nice to pedestrians and cyclists alike
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