Playing with their lives? Youths seen riding recklessly along Cantonment and Sembawang roads

Unruly cycling behaviour on our roads have come into the spotlight again after two groups of youths were seen allegedly flouting cycling rules in separate incidents.

Two youths were seen riding what appears to be fixies along Cantonment Road, according to a video posted to the Sgfollowsall Instagram page on Sunday (Jan 25).

A fixie, or fixed-gear bicycle, generally does not come with hand-operated brakes, and rely on the rider's pedal resistance to stop.

One of the duo, dressed in black, was not wearing a helmet in the video.

As they were crossing the junction, which had an uphill section, the youth dressed in black was seen swerving out of the leftmost lane. 

The duo were then seen on the middle of three lanes before the video cuts off.

The government has required, since September 2021, that all bicycles on public paths and roads have at least one working handbrake.

Those caught riding a bicycle without brakes can be fined up to $10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both. Their bicycles will also be confiscated. 

A second video, also posted on Sunday, shows a group of five youths cycling along Sembawang Road without helmets. 

Although no disc brakes can be observed on the five bicycles, it is unclear if rim brakes were fitted.

One of the five youths, dressed in a green shirt, was seen lifting his legs off the pedals in a stunt to mimic Superman flying as he went downslope.

@asiaone Two groups of youths were spotted riding what appeared to be fixies without handbrakes along Cantonment Road and Sembawang Road, though it is unclear whether their bicycles had rim brakes. Since September 2021, the government has required all bicycles on public paths and roads have at least one working handbrake. Some of them displayed reckless behaviour, with one swerving between lanes and another even seen lifting his legs off the seat, mimicking a Superman pose. #sgnews #Singapore #Road #Safety #Cycling ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

While there were light-hearted reactions across both posts, several social media users also raised renewed concerns about such behaviour on the roads.

One user said: "What the kids need are proper helmets, front and rear lights and good cycling habits. Some of these bad cycling habits endanger themselves and others."

"Why do children play with their lives on the road? How would the parents feel if their children were to be killed in an accident," another user said.

In September 2020, a 13-year-old girl fell to her death at a multi-storey carpark in Pasir Ris while riding her friend's fixed-gear bicycle down a slope in the building.

Following the accident, the Active Mobility Advisory Panel recommended that all bicycles, including fixies, must have at least one working handbrake to be used on public paths and roads.

The recommendation became law on September 1, 2021.

editor@asiaone.com