Errant cyclists in Woodlands Crescent caught on camera

DRIVING to work in the morning often feels like steering through an obstacle course for Kenneth Xie.

Cyclists riding in groups, beating red lights or going against the flow of traffic are a part of the daily grind for the 30-year-old design engineer.

In a bid to highlight the chaotic cycling situation at Woodlands Crescent, where he lives, Mr Xie uploaded an edited 2½-minute video from his in-car camera unit, which captured what happened in 30 minutes.

It caught errant cyclists in action while he was on his way to work on Oct 23 from about 7.30am.

About 1½ minutes into the video, a cyclist can be seen stopping right in the middle of the road with a girl, who looked like she was wearing school uniform, riding pillion.

At one stage, numerous cyclists ignore the red light and swerve onto the next road.

At another, numerous cyclists ride across against traffic, which makes Mr Xie comment in the video: "I think they think this road belongs to their grandfather."

Asked why he put up the video, Mr Xie said: "I've seen these errant cyclists' negligence of the safety of other road users too often that I feel the issue needs to be highlighted."

Like him, those who live or work in the area are no strangers to such scenes.

Josh Kyaw Soe Naing, 39, an assistant manager at Fortune Supermarket, said that in his four months of working in the neighbourhood, he has seen many careless cyclists on his way to work.

"I always see them in the morning. A lot of them seem to be rushing to work so I try to get out of their way," he said.

Admiralty Secondary School student Muhammad Ernaim Affandi, 15, agreed.

"When I'm on my way to school, I make sure I stay to the side of the walkway. Sometimes, they cycle in groups because I can hear a lot of bells ringing, and when that happens, I usually stop walking to let them pass," he said.

Errant cyclists are fast becoming Singapore's new breed of traffic offenders, said Steven Lim, president of the Safe Cycling Taskforce.

"These cyclists have the mentality that they are not motorists and that allows them to get away with traffic offences," Mr Lim, 48, said.

He added that even in accidents, these cyclists may feel that their actions will not cause any deaths.

Some of the cyclists who were flouting the law spoke to The New Paper, saying they felt it was safe to do so.

A woman who wanted to be known as Ms Lu, 24, said: "I think it is still quite safe because I keep a lookout for any oncoming cars before I cycle across the road."

The Chinese national, who works in the food industry, was one of those cycling in the middle of the road against traffic.

"People around here do it every morning and evening, so I follow suit," Ms Lu said, shrugging her shoulders, adding that she was not familiar with Singapore's road laws.

Baker Lin Fu Fan, 32, agreed that it was a common sight among those working in the industrial parks nearby.

"It shouldn't be a problem as long as the roads are clear. I have been doing this for 10 years but haven't had any accidents," said the Chinese national before cycling away.

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