Singapore—After a recent Facebook post where he complained about reckless cyclists went viral, actor Tay Ping Hui thanked those who have supported him.
In a new post on Thursday (Apr 15), Mr Tay called for a resolution of the differences between motorists and cyclists, and to move forward in ensuring road safety for everyone.
“To the cycling community I would like to say this, I am not the enemy,” the actor wrote, adding that he is in favour of cycling due to its health benefits. Therefore it is all the more important that the current situation improves, he wrote.
On Apr 1, he posted a dash cam video of himself driving. In his caption, he noted that despite the lights being green in his favour and his vehicle being on the left and within the speed limit, a group of cyclists entering the junction “simply didn’t care”.
The footage showed that the actor had also flashed his headlights at the group to give them enough warning that he had the right of way.
Eventually, he was forced to change to the centre lane as one or two from the group occupied the middle of the left-most lane.
Mr Tay said the group “didn’t give a damn and just rode out like it’s their ah gong’s road.”
“I had to jam on the brakes to avoid killing them, and the best part was, they looked at me like it’s my fault,” said Mr Tay. He added that he had experienced similar incidents in the past.
In his most recent post, the actor wrote that the “furore that followed was unexpectedly explosive.”
Critics had claimed that his “ego…was too big to slow down nor give way,” and that he has spreading hatred toward cyclists.
And while he agreed with other critics that cyclists are the more vulnerable group between the two, he said that this makes it all the more important for them to practise defensive riding.
He underlined that the most important issue is “about holding irresponsible cyclists accountable for their actions. Because they are the primary culprits that are destroying the reputation of the entire cycling community”.
Mr Tay reiterated that the “unhealthy divide that is growing exponentially” between car drivers and bike riders needs to be resolved, but that “throwing insults at each other is definitely not the constructive way to go.”
“Education, patience and understanding are essential, but we desperately need a baseline of accountability to build upon.”
He added that the issue affects everyone, and that constructive action must be taken before anything serious happens.
“We are all in this together. Cyclists and motorists alike. We need to stop this degradation before it’s too late, because the last thing we want, is the implementation of extreme corrective measures because of some major loss of lives, and cycling meets the same sorrowful demise as our beloved PMDs.”
/TISG
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