Cyclists crash while crossing junction in Punggol, purported to be caused by road debris
An accident occurred in Punggol when two cyclists in a group ended up crashing while crossing the road.
It allegedly occurred on 14 Sept at 10.48pm, according to the post on the Facebook page, SG Road Vigilante (SGRV).
Dashcam footage from a car waiting at the red light at the intersection of Punggol North Avenue and Punggol Way showed a large group of cyclists riding across Punggol Way.
However, halfway across, one cyclist took a tumble and fell on the road.
He was travelling at a fast enough speed that he flipped his bicycle over and slid across the asphalt.
Source: SGRV FRONT MAN on Facebook
A second cyclist then crashed into his fallen bike and violently fell forward onto the road. The motorists in the camcar could be heard exclaiming “woah” repeatedly at the sight.
The other cyclists in the large group slowed down and went around the crash site, while one biker stopped and dismounted to check on the fallen cyclists.
Source: SGRV FRONT MAN on Facebook
The two victims got to their feet and pushed their bikes off the road alongside the third cyclist.
Source: SGRV FRONT MAN on Facebook
A user on the SG PCN Cyclist Facebook group claimed there was a “long strip of unevenness” at this particular Punggol junction that possibly caused the fall. He used the video to warn other cyclists to be careful there.
Source: Facebook
Netizens blame alleged illegal cyclist group size for accident
Many online commenters post found the accident amusing, with highly-liked comments saying the video made their day in an expression of schadenfreude.
Source: Facebook
Another netizen even said the cyclists deserved the accident for flouting the rules by cycling in such a large group.
Source: Facebook
According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), cyclists have to keep to a maximum length of five in a single line or 10 if riding two abreast.
About 23 cyclists in total were seen crossing the road in the dashcam footage.
However, a commenter noted that there was a gap between cyclists a few seconds into the video, implying there could have been two separate groups riding one after the other.
Source: SGRV FRONT MAN on Facebook
The commenter instead put the cause of the accident on the lack of judgement and not keeping a safe distance between the cyclists. They warned others against automatically blaming the group size as the issue.
Source: Facebook
Cyclist claims crash caused by road debris, says there were two groups of cyclists
Speaking to MS News, the person claiming to be the first cyclist who had fallen on the video said that the crash happened because they “hit a small rock/road debris while crossing the junction”.
“I couldn’t see the rock as I was the 2nd rider and by the time my front wheel hit onto [sic] the rock, it is too late.”
They added that they have reported the incident to the Land Transportation Authority.
They further clarified that there had been two groups of cyclists crossing the junction when the accident happened. They were part of the first group of cyclists, consisting of 10 cyclists.
The other cyclists who passed by a few seconds later were part of a different group.
As it was impractical for them to stop in the middle of the junction due to the crash, the other group of cyclists continued on, making it seem like there was a big group of cyclists on the road.
“As for the crash, it wasn’t due to any lack of distancing or poor judgement, but rather a very unlucky stone hit.”
As for the fallen cyclist, they said there were no major injuries from the crash, just a few bruises.
Also read: 32 cyclists fined for cycling in oversized groups, 77 errant active mobility users also caught
32 cyclists fined for cycling in oversized groups, 77 errant active mobility users also caught
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Featured image adapted from SGRV FRONT MAN on Facebook.
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