In Singapore, pedestrians and cyclists often have to share a common pavement.
However, this could lead to an increased frequency of collisions and accidents.
In a TikTok video, a visually impaired pedestrian is shown walking along a pavement with his guide dog.
Soon after, an incoming cyclist comes straight towards them, failing to ring his bell or even slow down.
This caused the pedestrian and cyclist to collide with each other. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported.
According to The Straits Times (ST), the video was posted by a visually impaired man in Singapore named Mr Thomas Chan.
The video shows him walking with his guide dog, a three-year-old golden retriever-labrador named Eve.
As they were walking, an oncoming cyclist was riding his bicycle straight towards them.
However, the cyclist did not slow down as he approached them and he did not ring his bell to signal them either.
Source: @japanese_eve_n_thomas on TikTok
As a result, the cyclist ran into Mr Chan, the impact shaking the camera.
Source: @japanese_eve_n_thomas on TikTok
Eve turned back, as though she was trying to make sure that Mr Chan was all right.
Source: @japanese_eve_n_thomas on TikTok
Afterwards, they continued walking forward.
In response to MS News‘ queries, a GDS spokesperson shared that Mr Chan was paired with Eve as his guide dog in June last year.
The organisation has successfully trained and paired 11 guide dog teams, of which six are currently active.
At the time of writing, the video has garnered over 100,000 views.
Many netizens were disappointed by the fact that the cyclist failed to give way to Mr Chan and Eve.
Source: @japanese_eve_n_thomas on TikTok
Furthermore, another TikTok user pointed out that such cases of collisions between pedestrians and cyclists take place very frequently in Singapore.
Source: @japanese_eve_n_thomas on TikTok
Thankfully, according to ST, Guide Dogs Singapore (GDS) assured the public that none of the parties suffered any injuries.
They also highlighted that though this incident was extremely “unfortunate”, it definitely “highlighted the importance of raising awareness” to help ensure the safety of guide dogs and their owners.
Furthermore, GDS also suggested a few practices the public can adopt to help guide dog users.
For instance, cyclists should ring their bicycle bell when they are approaching someone with a guide dog.
To identify a guide dog, simply look out for its yellow harness, which indicates that it is a working dog.
Providing such a signal will allow guide dog users to have enough time to move out of the way.
GDS also told MS News that white cane users are at risk of colliding with cyclists as well.
It added that although ringing the bell does help, some individuals with vision impairment may have a hearing impairment too, which means they may not pick up the sound.
Additionally, GDS reminded the public not to pat, feed, or do anything to distract a guide dog as this could endanger the dog and the user.
Whether they use guide dogs or white canes, everyone can do their best to look out for these individuals.
Hopefully, the public will show greater patience and care towards the visually impaired and their guide dogs.
This will go a long way in ensuring that incidents like the above do not take place again.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from @japanese_eve_n_thomas on TikTok.
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