The fate of cyclists in Singapore
As a duathlete who needs to train, I have been out cycling enough to tell you how unwelcome I feel every time I hit the roads. I know this issue has been debated many times, but I would like to express my own point of view.
Just recently, I was honked at while starting off at a junction near my house. I pushed off when the traffic light turned green, and I looked down to cleat my left shoe into the pedals. Then this bastard driver in a car behind me just honked at me, causing my to miss the pedal. And so I had to try again, and again the bastard just honked at me. In the end, I finally got fed up, and so when the car passed me, I just gave him the finger. I can still see the bastard talking to someone in the passenger seat (presumably his wife), probably complaining about why cyclists should not be allowed to cycle on the roads.
There have been many other incidents, such as cars brushing so close to me that their side mirror almost hit me, or drivers honking impatiently as I was cycling uphill. May I remind you that we cyclists are not powered by engines that use up precious fuels and contribute to global warming, but by our own legs. If you really think it is so god damn easy to climb up a slope on a bike, why don’t you try it yourself, instead of just sitting in your comfortable car, honking at me and emitting carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other air pollutants from your car exhaust.
Now, there are many reasons why we cyclists (especially those with road or time trial bikes) have to stay on the road. First off, most of us do not live near east coast park. Any other parks are probably too small to provide a long enough distance for us to train. (each cycling trip is normally between 40-100KM). Moreover, most of these parks’ bike lanes are dominated by mountain bikes, which are often incapable of reaching high speeds. It is very easy to crash into one, and believe me, that crash will come at a huge cost to us, especially those of us with carbon frame bikes.
This also applies to the various short stretches of bike pathways that we now see in some areas. The bike paths are often not wide enough to allow for safe overtaking, and more often than not, you can see pedestrians walking on the bike paths, even though it is meant for the bikes only. And again, these bike paths are usually very short, covering less than 3KM.
Pavements are also out of the question. Given the high speeds usually involved in cycling training (around 30KM/H), and the number of people walking on pavements, an accident will be inevitable.
Unless we have dedicated bike lanes on the roads which are actually wide enough for safe overtaking at high speeds, it would simply seem that drivers have to share the roads with us. Do they think that just because we don’t pay road taxes or ERP charges, we don’t deserve to use the road? Let me remind you, if we can afford a road bike (usually at least S$1k+), we almost definitely already have a car and are actually paying road taxes. Especially those with carbon frame time trial bikes - if they are actually willing and able to fork out S$4k+ for a vehicle powered by their own 2 legs, then they definitely own a car in their family. (probably a BMW or Mercedes) So in truth, we actually bear part of the road taxes.
Therefore, I appeal to all Singaporean drivers out there - please be considerate and share the roads with us. If you wish to overtake, and we are taking up more than 1/3 of the lane (which is because of various dangers near the curb such as potholes or broken glass bottles), then just change a lane and overtake us. Why are you so lazy as to flick a finger to switch on the signal light and turn the wheel a little? Instead you must come and squeeze us, knowing that you might just brush one of us accidently (that one brush will probably cause us to crash). Also, if you think that a cyclists is traveling too slowly, there is no need to honk, just change a lane and overtake. By honking, you will not make us go any faster, and will just get us irritated and give you the finger. In the end, it’s a lose - lose situation. Surely you are not in that much of a rush that you cannot even spare a few seconds traveling behind a bike?
If Singaporean drivers can be just a little more patient and considerate, the roads will be much safer for both cyclists and drivers alike. After all, there is less chance of us crashing into your precious car if you keep your distance from us right? Now I will end off with a cool video from the London Traffic Police.
Till next time,
cheers