Singapore—Member of Parliament Baey Yam Keng (PAP – Tampines GRC) has weighed in on the lately fraught relationship between motorists and cyclists, saying he believes the two can “co-exist safely and harmoniously.”
Incidents of cyclists behaving badly on the road have made the news lately, with more and more motorists growing irate at the risks they carelessly pose on the road.
On Sunday (Apr 18), Mr Baey bucked the trend by posting about a positive encounter last month with a group of cyclists, which caused him to give them a thumbs-up signal.
“What caught my eye was that they stopped at the red lights when there were no other vehicles going in the direction of the green light, which is the right way but I don’t see all cyclists doing that.”
The leader of the group, a man named Raymond, later messaged him, inviting him to go cycling with them.
And while the Tampines MP is known to post about his fitness routines on social media, he confessed that he “was not very confident cycling on the road.”
However, Raymond, his father Richard, and two of his friends, Ryan and Adrian, helped Mr Baey pedal his way through the streets.
He added, “They showed me how to ride safe, not only for ourselves but other road users too. They kept to one lane, single file most of the time, used hand signals, gave way and slowed down when necessary.”
Notably, on the ride he took with Raymond and the group, he saw motorists with “gracious” driving manners as well.
“I do believe that motorists and cyclists can co-exist safely and harmoniously on the road. We just need to look out for ourselves and others,” the MP added.
Mr Baey, who is also the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry for Transport, also shared on his Facebook page a post from the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which teamed up with the Traffic Police last weekend in operations concerning active mobility users.
“From the AYE and West Coast Highway to Bukit Timah and Tanah Merah Coast Road, we took the opportunity to drill home the message of safe cycling and took errant cyclists to task,” the LTA wrote.
They caught a total of 34 cyclists breaking the rules—16 who did not wear helmets, 16 who beat red lights, and two who rode against the flow of traffic.
“Cycling is a great way to keep fit while exploring Singapore. We are happy to see that more are taking up this environmentally-friendly way of commuting but do keep safety in mind at all times while on the roads. Abide by the rules and exercise consideration and graciousness to keep everyone safe!” the LTA reminded the public.
/TISG
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