SINGAPORE: On Saturday (May 3), a video of a large group of cyclists went viral when posted on the social media pages of SG Road Vigilante.
The group, which appeared to number more than 20, was seen at around 8:00 in the morning at Upper Bukit Timah Road. According to the SG Road Vigilante post, not only did they fail to conform to the maximum group cyclist size, but the cyclists also failed to keep to the left.
The post author added that some cyclists “even went on to lane 2 to ask drivers to move to lane 1 to give way.”
Some netizens commenting on the video expressed dismay that these cyclists disobeyed traffic rules. One wrote, “When there is no enforcer, nobody cares. The law goes out the window. I am stating the facts.”
“These cyclists are ridiculously irresponsible!!” another commented.
A solo cyclist wrote that encounters such as the one in the video leave him shaking his head.
Some suggested that cyclists should begin paying road tax.
Others argued that the cyclists may have been from different groups, meaning no laws were broken.
In Singapore, cyclists need to stay in a group of a maximum of five bicycles in length. This allows five cyclists in a single file or 10 cyclists side by side, which is permitted in streets with at least two lanes.
Cyclists must ride single-file on one-lane streets and in bus lanes during the stipulated hours. Cyclists can be slapped with a fine of S$150 if they breach these rules. The composition fine was increased on Jan 1, 2022, to improve road safety.
It also applies to cyclists who break other existing cycling rules, including failing to stop at red lights, cycling on expressways, and riding abreast of another cyclist along single-lane roads or within bus lanes during bus lane operational hours.
The Singapore Police Force has regularly reminded cyclists to follow cycling rules and guidelines for their own and everyone else’s safety.
These include:
- Obey all traffic signals and travel in the same direction as the flow of traffic
- Wear a helmet when cycling on roads
- Always ride as close as practicable to the far left edge of roads and allow traffic to overtake them safely
- Cycle in a single file on single-lane roads and during bus lane operational hours
- Switch on the front white and rear red lights in the dark
- Always use bicycle lanes when available, and do not use any other part of the roadway
- Keep to a maximum length of five bicycles when riding in groups, which means a maximum of five cyclists if riding in single file or 10 cyclists if riding two abreast (only on roads with more than one lane)
- Not use mobile communication devices while riding
- Not cycle on expressways, road tunnels, and selected viaducts. /TISG
Read also: Singaporean suggests S$1000 fine for errant cyclists instead of the current “meagre S$150”