Would you give a stranger a lift? Seeing a foreign worker cycling on the SLE, this man didn't just drive past

A man spotted a foreign worker cycling on the Seletar Expressway (SLE) last Thursday (Aug 6), and decided to make a "special bike delivery" — giving him and his bicycle a lift and a quick lesson on using Google Maps.  

Foong WeiSheng, a 45-year-old who is self-employed, shared two videos on Facebook that day of the encounter which took place at around 1pm. 

In the videos, Foong is seen mounting the man's bicycle onto a bike rack at the back of his car, which already had another bicycle secured to it.

He then gives the worker a lift away from the expressway.

The post captioned: "Did a special bike delivery today. Saw an Indian foreign worker cycling along SLE. I stopped and asked him where he (was) going."

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the 45-year-old explained that the man's ATM card was not working, preventing him from taking public transport, so he decided to cycle to North Link using Hello Ride, a bike-sharing app.

The man then used Google Maps to navigate his way there but his app was set to Two-wheeler,  meant for motorcycles, which directed him to enter the expressway.

"He just entered without knowing bicycles are not allowed to be on the expressway," Foong told AsiaOne.

Foong, who filmed the interaction as a "safeguard" in case something happened, said that he dropped the man off along Mandai Road so he could enter the park connector at Sembawang Park and make his way towards Woodlands.

"As I am going toward Mandai Zoo, I sent him to Mandai road and guided him (on) how to set his Google maps settings so in future, he will not enter expressway again," added Foong. 

In the second video, Foong is seen holding the man's phone and teaching him how to use Google Maps.

He shows him how to toggle the settings for a bicycle route, including where to find park connectors he can use.

Foong, who is also a cyclist, said: "I always keep a look out on fellow cyclists' safety, which made me decide to stop and check on him. (The first) thing in my mind is to get him out of this dangerous situation as soon as possible."

He also hoped that drivers who spot any cyclists on the expressway would "give them some assistance". 

@asiaone A driver spotted a foreign worker cycling on the SLE and gave him a lift while showing him how to avoid expressways on Google Maps. #sgnews #Singapore #Kindness #Cycling ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

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esther.lam@asiaone.com