Will pedestrians, cyclists co-exist?

by Sumita Sreedharan

SINGAPORE – Some five years after Tampines embarked on its mission to become a model cycling town, it appears that it is still a big task for cyclists and pedestrians to co-exist in peace.

“Bicycles are still vehicles that can cause accidents and it is inappropriate for them to be on our walkways,” said homemaker Mrs Mohideen, 49, who said that she walks under the blocks of flats, which is usually a longer route, just to avoid sharing the pathways.

“Sometimes they just move so fast and I do not know if they can stop in time,” she shared.

Technician and avid cyclist Abdul Mazlan, 24, feels that cyclists are misunderstood. “It is difficult for me as a cyclist to have to keep a slow pace behind a pedestrian who is walking in the bicycle path and I am not being rude when I ring my bell at them to give way but I usually get scolded.”

Since the constituency embarked on a trial to legalise cycling on footpaths in 2007 – cycling on footpaths are illegal in Singapore – several measures have been rolled out to make Tampines more bicycle-friendly.

Last year, it introduced by-laws to allow the Tampines Town Council to take enforcement action against reckless cyclists on footpaths. Apart from widened footpaths and dedicated cycling lanes, Tampines has also recruited volunteer cycling wardens and deployed them to educate cyclists.

But safety remained a concern among the Tampines residents Today spoke to.

Ms Tricia Yeo, a 21-year-old student, said: “I do not want to get run over and I always walk slower and try to be as alert as possible, just in case.”

Retiree Chan Lee Aw added: “I am still trying to get used to having the bicycles go past me very fast, it can be scary when they suddenly come from behind and I have almost fallen a few times because I was shocked.”

According to the Tampines Town Council, there have been 364 summonses and 666 warnings issued to errant cyclists. Common breaches include riding across pedestrian crossings and reckless cycling.

According to the town council, auxiliary police officers are on bicycle patrols to check on errant cyclists. A verbal warning – along with educational pamphlets – are handed out to first-time offenders. For repeat offenders, fines up to a maximum of S$1,000 can be imposed.

Under the Road Traffic Act, the police will also investigate if physical injury is involved. In such instances, errant cyclists be fined up to S$1,000 or jailed up to three months for first-time offenders, while repeat offenders could be fined up to S$2,000 or jailed up to six months.

Cyclists and pedestrians in Tampines reiterated that their right to use their respective pathways should be respected. Where possible, the Land Transport Authority has segregated the cycling paths from the footpaths.

However, Mr Steven Lim, president of the national safe cycling task force, noted that segregating the paths may make cyclists and pedestrians more “territorial”.

Said Mr Lim: “Everyone should see it as a public facility and pedestrians and cyclists should give way to each other. This will diminish the mindset that facilities are just meant for one group of users.”

Work in progress

Apart from safety issues, the constituency has also sought to address bicycle thefts. In March last year, an online Bicycle Identification System (BID) was introduced. To date, 148 cyclists have been registered and were issued a tamper-proof security label, according to the town council.

However, several cyclists who spoke to Today were unaware of the system. One of them, Mr Rahman Rahim, 23, said: “I am always worried about leaving my bike chained to the fences, so I always make my trips short.”

Tampines GRC MP Irene Ng, who chairs the Tampines Cycling Town Committee, said that more is being done to publicise the BID.

From the start, Ms Ng knew she had her work cut out. She said: “When we embarked on the trial in Tampines, it took some political courage, as we knew it would probably be unpopular with many pedestrians. But we knew that to do nothing would be to watch an already bad situation deteriorate.”

Ms Ng stressed that the trial was meant to “address a specific local problem”.

“It was not intended to provide a national solution. Other towns have their issues and their own way of addressing them, according to their circumstances,” she noted.

On what more can be done at the national level, Ms Ng said the Republic “should examine how cities such as Paris, London, Geneva and Chicago, integrate bicycles seamlessly into their transport system”. She added: “How national policy treats the use of bicycles as a mode of transport will make a significant difference on public attitudes towards cyclists … But because this is an issue that cuts across several different ministries, it requires political will at the top.”

-Today Online – 

– Picture from: Sxc.hu