Cyclist On PIE Rides In The Middle Of 5 Lanes; S’poreans Worry For Road Users’ Safety

YOLO Cyclist Appears To Ride In The Centre Of 5 Lanes On PIE

Part of the thrill of cycling is enjoying the rush of the wind as you watch the world breeze by. But not all of us have the confidence to cycle on open roads.

This driver’s encounter with a ‘daredevil’ cyclist along the expressway, however, has raised questions about road safety in Singapore.

A 20-second dashcam clip uploaded on Sunday (1 Sep) onto SG Road Vigilante’s Facebook page depicts a man cycling in the centre of 5 lanes on Pan-Island Expressway (PIE).

You can watch how he managed to cycle alongside cars travelling at around 71km/hour in full here.

YOLO cyclist made risky road choice

The video begins with the car heading towards Lornie Road, when he encountered a bicycle rider dressed in bright orange.

Glancing over to the speed clocked by the dashcam, the car was travelling at around 71km/hour, at approximately 1.45pm on Sunday (1 Sep) afternoon.

The car passes the cyclist within seconds, but we see an alternate angle to the incident from the car’s rear view camera.

From this scene, we gather that the cyclist appears to continue riding in the centre of PIE’s 5 lanes even as the car drives away.

Netizens worry about safety of cyclist & drivers

Although the cyclist seemed skilled enough to hold his own on the wide road, netizens chimed in with their worries about his safety.

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As a cyclist would have a small frame that’s hard to detect on a rear view mirror, car drivers were worried that they may collide into them if they weren’t vigilant about blind spots.

This netizen asked for greater protection for motorists, if a cyclist chose to ride in a similar manner on the road.

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Another commenter wondered if cyclists should be banned from the roads for safety reasons, as tighter regulations for PMDs were put in place recently.

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Current rules for bicycles & PMDs on roads

But is cycling allowed on the expressways in the first place? According to the Road Traffic Act, in Chapter 276, bicycles are part of excluded vehicles allowed on expressways.

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This useful road safety guide by the Singapore Police also states that cycling isn’t allowed on expressways, a warning echoed by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan in this Channel NewsAsia article back in 2016.

Cycling on regular roads is permitted, as long as the speed limits are adhered to, according to LTA.

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Riders also need to adhere to strict rules and conduct which are available here on the website.

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They are also supposed to ride the bicycle “as near as practicable” to the “far left edge of the road”, states Chapter 276, Section 140 of the Road Traffic Act.

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Paving a safe way forward for cyclists & drivers

We’re glad that nothing untoward happened to this particular cyclist or his surrounding drivers.

Do you think there should be better protection for drivers who encounter a similar situation on our expressways? Or are there safe bicycling practices we can enforce, to ensure that cyclists who are skilled can stay safe on our roads?

We’d love to hear your opinions in the comments section below.

Featured image adapted from SG Road Vigilante on Facebook.