A reader asked why rules under Road Traffic Act Chapter 276 Section 140 under Road Traffic (Bicycle) do not seem to be enforced. “There has never been any enforcement action by Traffic Police such as those conducted for drink driving or speeding,” he wrote. Cyclists, he added, “regularly cycle in a group occupying entire road lanes such as along Holland Road or Changi Coast Road”.
Senior transport correspondent Christopher Tan answered.
Traffic Police and the Land Transport Authority do act against errant cyclists.
In October 2014, Traffic Police stopped more than 100 cyclists in Woodlands Avenue 9 following complaints of near misses with pedestrians. More than a dozen riders were issued with summonses.
Between May and October last year (16), more than 700 cyclists and personal mobility device users were warned for unsafe riding.
Tougher and more frequent enforcement actions can be expected as part of a national plan to promote “Active Mobility”.
At the same time, it is unrealistic to expect law enforcers to conduct crackdowns on errant cyclists the way they do on drink drivers and speedsters.
Resources, after all, are finite. And agencies have to prioritise so that the most serious infringements are dealt with first.
The authorities, however, are relatively swift to act on public feedback. In this day and age, where mobile cameras are commonplace, bad behaviour (of all kinds) can be captured and sent to relevant agencies for their action.
More often than not, the perpetrators are taken to task.
Having said that, it is vital for people living in a densely-populated city like Singapore – or for that matter, anywhere – to learn to live and let live. After all, do we really want a state where every transgression, no matter how minor, is dealt with?
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