Cyclist fined for leaving bicycle on road after argument, claimed he was told to “preserve the scene”
A Singaporean man has been fined S$5,000 for leaving his bicycle in the middle of a zebra crossing during the evening rush hour.
Source: MS News
Tan Poh Chuan did so for more than 20 minutes, after an argument with a car driver whom he felt had wronged him.
According to Tan, the driver had “inched” his car out and “suddenly braked” while he was at the zebra crossing.
Police were then called to the scene.
According to The Straits Times (ST), Tan’s refusal to move his bicycle held up traffic, and 10 passengers were forced to alight from a nearby public bus to find alternate travel routes.
Fined for causing obstruction
District Judge Tan Jen Tse said that a deterrence sentence was needed in Tan’s case as he had chosen to take matters into his own hands.
On Thursday (5 March), the 47-year-old man was ordered to pay the maximum fine of S$5,000 for causing the obstruction.
According to State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) Chng Leng Leng, the incident occurred as Tan was riding his bicycle along Anchorvale Street in Sengkang at around 7 pm on 10 Oct 2024.
Source: SG Road Vigilante on Facebook
He then saw a car, which had stopped at a zebra crossing.
However, just as he was about to cross the road, Tan alleged that the car had “inched out”.
SPO Chng added that Tan then “looked at the driver and gestured to indicate that this was a zebra crossing”.
Source: SG Road Vigilante on Facebook
He then “dismounted from his bicycle and placed it in front of the motor car at the zebra crossing to prevent it from moving forward”.
Tan allegedly felt that the driver showed “no sign of being apologetic” for his actions, and thus, he called for police assistance.
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
He proceeded to make three calls to the police, and continued to place his bicycle in the middle of the zebra crossing.
It was also revealed that three separate calls had been made by the public about the traffic obstruction Tan caused.
Video footage obtained by the driver was also shown in court, revealing that the car had already stopped moving when Tan attempted to cross the road.
Told to “preserve the scene”
Several members of public and an SBS bus driver also asked Tan to move his bicycle, but he refused to comply, ST reported.
As a result, 10 passengers had to alight from the public bus to find other transportation means.
The bus, which was directly behind the car involved in the incident, was halted for nearly 20 minutes.
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
Tan only moved his bicycle after police officers arrived at the scene around 7.20pm.
In mitigation, Tan’s defence lawyer, Mark Cheng, told the court that Tan was told to wait for officers to arrive, and to “preserve the scene” while awaiting their arrival.
The act of causing an obstruction is an offence under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act.
For the offence of creating an obstruction or inconvenience on a public road by leaving a vehicle there and impeding traffic, an individual may be fined up to S$5,000.
Also read: Cyclist blocks car at Sengkang zebra crossing, traffic reportedly held up for about 20 mins
Cyclist blocks car at Sengkang zebra crossing, traffic reportedly held up for about 20 mins
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Featured image adapted from Complaint Singapore on Facebook and MS News
