Man angry at cyclists for ringing their bells while on a ‘shared path’ in Punggol, threatens to report them
What started as a fun National Day bike ride in Punggol for two friends soon turned sour.
On Sunday (9 Aug), a man confronted a pair of cyclists for ringing their bell at him and his son after the cyclists looked to ride past them.
In a tip-off sent via email, an MS News reader described how the man confronted and accused him and his friend of “road raging”, claiming they were not abiding by road traffic rules.
Rang the bicycle bell to alert the father and son
According to the reader, he and his friend were cycling towards Waterway Point on a marked shared path at around noon.
Source: Google Maps
As the two cycled, they soon approached a father and son duo walking ahead of them.
To alert them, the cyclists rang their bicycle bell approximately two to three times. They then passed the man and his son, continuing to cycle for some distance.
Source: Masood Aslami on Pexels, for illustration purposes only
Father confronted the boys for ‘road raging’
The father and son soon caught up to the cyclists at the traffic light.
To the reader’s surprise, the man confronted him and accused him and his friend of “road raging”.
Image provided by MS News reader
In a video provided in the tip-off, the man was heard shouting at the cyclists: “Then must I give way to you? It is a shared path. Are you prioritising that this is a riding path?”
Speaking to MS News, the reader said: “I told him that I would rather ring the bell to alert the pedestrians than risk bumping into them.”
He added that he and his friend were initially surprised and confused by the man’s reaction, since they had already passed the man without any confrontation.
Image provided by MS News Reader
He said: “I didn’t think ringing a bell two to three times warranted that kind of reaction.”
Our intention in ringing the bell had been to make our presence known before passing, rather than risk getting too close to or colliding with pedestrians.
Man claimed they are on pedestrian-only track, called them ‘idiots’ who ‘can’t read’
As the cyclists headed across the traffic junction to a sheltered walkway, the man pointed to the path.
He claimed that the walkway was a pedestrian-only path, asking: “Is that a cycling [path]? Can you use your brain?”
Image provided by MS News Reader
That’s when the man accused the cyclists of being unable to read, before shouting at them to dismount from their bicycles.
According to the cyclist, the man also allegedly called them “idiots”.
He shared that he felt “frustrated and uncomfortable” from the man’s words.
In addition, the cyclist claimed that the path had “sufficient space to proceed cautiously”.
“We would have dismounted if the path had been too crowded or narrow to pass safely,” he stated.
Image provided by MS News Reader
Man threatened to call the police on the cyclists
While the cyclists attempted to head off, the man continued to yell at them.
“You don’t go, I call the police. See who is right?” the man said. “You can get fined S$2,000. Let me call the police and notify you.”
Image provided by MS News Reader
While the man threatened to report the cyclists, the cyclist told MS News there was “no physical confrontation or threat of physical violence”.
Therefore, they did not make a police report.
Signage showed a shared track
Although the man claimed the path is a pedestrian-only track, a nearby sign shows that the path is actually a “shared track”.
In the video clip, the reader zooms in on the sign that disproved the man’s claim.
Image provided by MS News Reader
Speaking to MS News, the cyclist said: “I was aware that construction narrowed the path and that there were ‘Pedestrian Access’ signs in the area. However, my understanding was that the route itself remained a shared path”
He added that he did not see a “No Riding” sign along the path.
Sharing spaces more graciously
He shared with MS News that his issue with the incident was the “disproportionate” reaction to ringing a bell.
“I also recognise that cyclists have a responsibility to ride cautiously around pedestrians,” he said.
Source: Ministry of Transport
Our use of the bicycle bell was intended as that alert.
Although the incident confused the cyclists, the reader hopes that the encounter can prompt a discussion on how both cyclists and pedestrians can “share these spaces more graciously”, instead of “escalating minor misunderstandings into confrontations.”
Also read: ‘Patriotic’ man rides Anywheel bicycle on road in Serangoon with large national flag
‘Patriotic’ man rides Anywheel bicycle on road in Serangoon with large national flag
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from video provided by MS News reader.