Re: FT "Singapore Cyclist" posts 100 videos of car drivers who pissed him off on Sg r
I came across this post while reading a current post. I cycled when I was much younger, and just drive now-a-days.... While some cyclist do observe the rules and conventions on road use as do motorist, as in all things, there those few that spoils it all for everyone.
Leongsam's post that the Dutch have instituted a good change that benefits ALL users of the road, could be used in Singapore if not All countries.
If you have cycled in traffic, you'll understand why cyclists, especially the experienced ones, bend the rules in specific circumstances.
1. Starting off from a red light stop.
Cyclists anticipate the change and will start off just before the lights turn green because it takes a few metres to pick up enough speed to cycle in a perfect straight line. The first couple of metres is always a bit of wobble no matter how good you are especially if you need to clip into the pedals. If you don't get a head start, you risk being taken out by the motorist just behind when he floors it. I've seen it happen. Motorists see this as "jumping the lights"
2. Cycling in the "middle of the road".
The edge of the road is the gutter. It's where the drainage grates and manholes are along with all sorts of debris. Cycling just 0.5 metres from the curb is courting disaster. You risk getting your wheel caught in a rut, punctures or running over stones, bottles, broken glass etc. Even if the edge of the road is pristine, cycling too close to the kerb is actually more dangerous because motorists will simply keep to their lanes and shave past you giving you no room at all. The risk of a side mirror hitting your arm or handlebars is high.
I cycle 1.5 metres from the edge of the road. This forces cars to change lanes in order to overtake. It pisses some idiot drivers off but it is ultimately safer.
If there are cars parked along the side of the road, cyclists have to ride even further out and give at least a 2 metre gap from the cars. This is to avoid the door zone where motorists swing open their doors without looking. Car doors are more than a metre wide.
3. Changing lanes.
In heavy traffic, if a cyclists needs to turn right at a junction, he/she has no choice but to filter across a couple of lanes from left to right. Other vehicles can go with the flow. A cyclist will be riding at 30 to 40kph max so cars have to slow down. Again it pisses drivers off but there is no other way to do it. It delays motorists by perhaps 10 seconds max but so many are very impatient. In reality it makes no difference to the overall duration of their journey because in city driving, the next red light is only 100 metres down the road.
Ang Mohs cyclists in Singapore get pissed off with sinkie drivers because a lot of them come from countries where motorists are also cyclists and the motorists understand why cyclists ride the way they do and give due consideration. They don't realise that Singaporean drivers are 3rd world creatures living in a 1st world environment.
