Author Archives: Francis

Parliament debate 9 questions filed for cycling related issues

The parliament debate on coming Monday will be closely watched by people who care about the development of road safety facilities for cyclists. There are 9 cycling related questions filed from different MPs, including Ms. Irene Ng (Tampines) and Dr Janil Puthucheary (Pasir Ris-Punggol). I really hope the government will not use the same blanket statement (in land scarce Singapore..) to brush off the questions. We did some road measurement and discovered, there are more than a few roads have excessive road space enough to cater for safer cycling space, by shifting the double yellow line a little bit away from the curb. This will help to moderate the car speed and improve the safety of all road users in residential area.

In fact, if space limitation is the real reason, it should be more logical to encourage cycling and discourage driving, since car is by far more space hungry than bicycle.

Bike Hour 2012

It’s like Earth Hour, only more useful. It’s like a critical mass ride, only effective.

The world’s biggest, completely unorganised, mass cycling rally will happen wherever you are, on Tuesday March 20, between 6 and 7 pm. Why? Because you will be riding your bike.

Come on people! Let’s get together and make a revolution of an amazing nature, even if you are not a regular cyclist you can always:
RIDE MORE! DRIVE LESS!

Spread the word and invite as many people as you can! 🙂

Bike Hour at FaceBook

Isuda @ Green One event

Singapore 2012-09-02, Sunday
Isuda team was at Marina Barrage supporting the G1 event organized by Singapore Environment Council. Singapore G1 stands for Singapore Green One Campaign created by the Singapore Environment Council. Organised by the SEC for the second time, the event is the Republic’s largest environmentally-sustainable lifestyle event. This campaign hopes to reduce carbon footprint by increasing awareness of the issue and also to encourage people to walk for shorter distances instead of driving. There was a walkathon to encourage people to walk for shorter distances instead of driving. Isuda offer the visitors free test rides of our bicycles too.

Isuda team

Isuda test bicycles

Together with LovecyclingSG 127 cyclists, we rode all the way from Tampines, the first cycling Town in Singapore to Marina Barrage – a total of 21 km, that is at least 2667km in total!

LovecyclingSG at Garden By The bay

This makes me proud of LCSG!

Today I feel so proud of LCSG, thank to the post from one of our young chap Galleon. He said:

Don’t you just Hate it when Irresposible Parents let their Toddler Run around Cycling Tracks at a Park and you get Blamed instead and not them when you have an Accident with the Toddlers? -.-

I was expecting a heated debate about “Cyclist should have the right of way on cycling track” against “Cyclist should not harm the toddler“.  If STOMP is any indication of the sentiment of the public, it is normal to hear endless complaints about “errant cyclist”, “lousy drivers” and “dangerous jaywalker”. Our roads sounds like a war zone! There seems to be a never ending contention between cyclist and pedestrian, as well as between driver and cyclist.

To my surprise, the following “conversation” sounds more like the same person saying the same thing but in different way. Everybody agreed that as cyclist we should give way to pedestrians, even on bicycle lane, because the more powerful vehicle user has the power to make the situation dangerous, or safe.  For the sake of safety, the heavier, faster vehicle operator should give way to the more vulnerable users. Isn’t this great? A universal principle that can be follow easily by all users to ensure the safety of all, on any road, bike path or pavement?

It make me feel LCSG is a very special group of people and I feel very proud to belong to this special group.

———————-member’s responses start ————————-

Ivan, just be careful when cycling in parks cos its a common space.
The other day while riding at the NERL park, heard a kid exclaimed loudly: “Wow!! Mummy!! there are sand here!!” when he saw a sand pit…. Lol
Omg, was thinking inside me, what have we done to our kids?! They are surprised and excited just with seeing sand or sand pits? Did we rob them of their childhood or what?
So, patience lah …. and give the toddlers a chance in the park (even if you find it irresponsible for parents to let kids running around loose). Just my thots and opinions as a parent.

George PCN is co-share by all user. Recommend speed is 15km/h. Both party have responsibility to make it safe. Somrtime is more stressful to ride on PCN that the road. Take it easy

Al  Slow down immediately when you see toddlers. You will be rewarded, because they are really cute.

Adriane As the bigger vehicle, be tolerant and give way. Be alert and avoid accidents. Yes parents are irresponsible,but we exercise grace and be forgiving. Same theory applies when we are cycling on road and we hope cars give way to us. 🙂

WL If children can’t run free in parks, where else do they go? Keep below 15kmh in parks and always keep an eye out for toddlers and kids. You are the heavier, bigger, faster user. It is your responsibility to go slow enough to avoid hitting vulnerable park users.

Alex  Similar to driving through a school zone or residential area. Be aware of your environment which will change along the way and adapt your driving or cycling to suit the conditions. Always try and look “one bound” ahead. Ride safe !

Richard I agree with Adriane Lee
The food chain kinda filters down, lorries => cars => motorbikes => bicycles => pedestrians
This is regardless of whether they are in the correct lane or not. As the one that can inflict hurt on the next one down the food chain, you should keep a more careful lookout.

Tony if you don’t have the patience and share the park with parents and their toddler, how could driver have patience to share the road with us?

Chua Like Toddler, can i also add dogs to the list of things to look out for? Of course you can still rank chio bu at top of your list. Thank you.

Chee  Live & let live. If necessary, just dismount & push bike

Eugene  Don’t you just Hate it when Irresponsible Cyclists go fast on their bikes around Parks that are shared with padestrians and SHOULD be slowing down ESPECIALLY if they see TODDLERS so that they will not get into an Accident and get Blamed?

Why do cyclist eat my road cookie?

“I pay road tax yet cyclists don’t, why should they be allowed on the roads?”

Have you heard of this story about a lady and her cookie?

A woman waited at an airport, her flight delayed. She bought a book and cookies, sitting beside a man reading a magazine. Each time she took a cookie, so did he. Irritated but silent, she wondered what he’d do when only one remained.The man broke the last cookie in half and handed her a piece without looking up. Angry, she left.

On the plane, she found her own unopened pack of cookies in her purse. And the man she considered so rude, was sharing his cookies with her without anger, just pure kindness.

Many drivers, like the woman mentioned earlier, feel mistreated. They often express frustration with statements like, “I pay road tax, but cyclists don’t. Why should they be allowed on the roads?” This frustration is understandable, especially in Singapore, where car ownership is extremely expensive. Beyond the initial car price, drivers face import taxes, the Certificate of Entitlement (COE), insurance, and road taxes. As cars increase faster than road expansion, congestion has worsened significantly over the past decade. Drivers feel that cyclists, who don’t bear these costs, shouldn’t share the roads. However, many don’t realize that the infrastructure for roads and cars is far more costly than drivers pay. Let’s examine the road tax and the cost of roads.

Road Tax

Road taxes and total tax (extracted from Singapore Statistic)

In 2010 and 2011, Singapore’s annual revenue from motor-related taxes was about $1.9 billion, which could fund only a quarter of the 20 km North-South Expressway. Meanwhile, roads expanded by 28 km per year over the last four years. If motorist taxes cover only 5 km of new roads, who pays for the remaining 23 km? Non-motor-related taxes cover nearly five times the cost of motor-related taxes. Additionally, with over 3,377 km of roads needing constant maintenance, non-motorists also bear those costs.

Non-drivers subsidise car Park

I share the costs of facilities in my condo, including car parks, even though I don’t use one. This means that non-drivers subsidize the construction and maintenance of parking spaces for drivers. These costs are included in unit prices and management fees. For more insights on car parking issues, check out Paul Barter’s excellent article on his blog.

More Social Costs of Driving

Driving imposes significant burdens on society, including:

  • Air Pollution: Contributes to respiratory and cardiovascular issues, with increased PM2.5 levels linked to higher hospital admissions for heart problems.
  • Noise Pollution: Heavy traffic noise can lead to stress and insomnia, and constructing sound barriers is costly and often ineffective.
  • CO2 Emissions: Vehicles emit thousands of tons of CO2, contributing significantly to the greenhouse effect.
  • Road Safety: Motor vehicles are a major cause of road accidents, with 193 fatalities and 11,665 injuries reported in 2010. The financial and emotional toll on victims and their families can be severe.

Motorists are not currently covering these social costs. A detailed study from Copenhagen illustrates how each kilometre driven results in a net loss to society. This revision aims to enhance clarity while maintaining the original message and structure.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has clarified that roads in Singapore are funded by general taxes, not just road tax. This means that all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, are entitled to use public roads, regardless of whether they pay road tax.The term “road tax” can be misleading, as it does not solely finance road construction and maintenance. Instead, public funds collected from various taxes support these costs. Cyclists, who do not emit any emissions, are exempt from road tax and should be welcomed on the roads. Understanding this distinction may help reduce tensions between drivers and cyclists, fostering a more cooperative atmosphere on the roads.

BusBike lane (BB Lane)

BusBike Lane – (Thanks Mr. Low Cheaw Hwei for the improvement suggestion)

This is a low cost and effective idea suggested by a cyclist during a Facebook conversation. Let’s call it a BusBike Lane, or BB Lane.
Under current traffic regulation bicycle is allowed on Bus Lane all days. But this is not well known even for some cyclists. When drivers see cyclist riding on the Bus lanes, more often than not, they get upset and complaint that cyclist is violating the law. Such misunderstanding create emotional tension, and some of the drivers may turn aggressive.

Painting a bicycle sign in the Bus lane clarify the regulation. You can also contact expert painting contractors from a reliable painting service like Euro Painting for professional and affordable painting services. It gives confident for cyclist to use the bus lane. It also signals to the motorists that it is legitimate for the cyclists to use the Bus Lane and therefore there is no need to feel upset about it.

Bus companies provide training. All bus driver are trained to give ways and to drive carefully when there is cyclists around.

When riding on Bus Lane cyclist and bus driver should be considerate to each other. Bus driver may need to slow down if there is not enough room to over take a cyclist. At the same time, the cyclist should try to ride as close to the left as possible to make it easy for the bus to overtake.

At Bus stop, it is better for slow rider to stop and wait behind the bus. Some fast road ride may decided to overtake, but they need to be extra cautious and need to emerge from a good distance behind, as car from behind may not expect cyclist suddenly come out from the bus lane. This problem is not better or worst with the introduction of bicycle sign on bus lane.
Other vehicle allowed on the bus lane are emergency service and police vehicles (on urgent duty call make known by means of some distinctive siren)

Media update: The New Paper: 2012-08-28

Singapore roads are wide enough for bicycle

Give me the space so I can follow the rule

2012-07-25 Singapore, by Chu Wa, Francis


Article by Francis Chu, First published in ZaoBao 2012-07-25

Yesterday when I went home, I saw a father riding a bicycle and carrying two kids, one in the front and the other at the back. He yield slowly at a junction, checked there was no car around and he ride across the junction quickly. He continue on the pavement carefully. I snapped a photo and upload it to the Facebook, many friends share their memory of being carried by their father/ mother’s bike when they were small. “It’s really an enjoayble mement, wind blows in my face, talking and chating to my father. Watching the street scene flow by while sitting between his large arm, I felt excited, warm and secured.” A friend told me. Others shared that’s how they bring thier kids to school, as a parent, they all enjoy this “moment of two” with thier kids on thier journey. However, this affordable, eco friendly and healthy way of commute is being marginalized. If you want to avoid the danger of cars, you need to ride on the pavement, and which is illegel (except Tampines town). It is also illegel to carry people on your bicycle. To some, that father using his own effort, carfully carrying his kids between home and school has already breached the law.

Recently there is an article publiched in ST <> the author, Ignatius Low, list many wrongdoing of cyclists in Singapore. He share his experience in UK and feel that cyclists over there are much more deciplined than the local cyclists. The article striked a sensitive chore in the public and many readers write in to support him. Most agreed that there are many “ruleless cyclists” who don’t respect the laws.

As an “Bicycle-Master”, I have more than 7 years of driving and cycling experience in Singapore. I feel Mr. Low does not have a real taste of riding in Singapore. He doesn’t understand why sometimes it is necessary to make an illegel move. e.g riding on pavement (to avoid car), or riding across pedestrian crossing (to reduce exposure to the danger of cars).

Mr. Low listed 7 sins of the local cyclist:
1) riding on pavement,
2) ringing their bell and threathening the pedestrian
3) carrying people on bicycle
4) riding across crossing
5) riding against traffic
6) no front and back light at night
7) not wearing helmet.

Only (2) is really a bad behavior and should not be allowed, and I agree there are a few cyclists belongs to this group. The rest, technically illegel, but Mr. Low is pushing too far when he said these behavior are “endngering” car drivers. About the helmet, in Singapore there is no law to force cyclist to wear a helmet, it is a personal freedom that each person should decide for himself. In fact helmet law does not exist in all advanced countries with high population of bicycle, such as the Netherlands and Denmark. They genearlly agree helmet doesn’t add to the safety of the rider, but increase the burden for cycling.

If cyclist really is the “King of the Road” as claimed, than we shouldn’t see cyclists being forced onto the pavement. I feel local cyclist is more like the “Orphan of the Road”, they don’t have a space they belong (no bicycle lane), they don’t have proper protection (law does not protect them well). When confronted with danger (car) , they just have to jump here and there to avoid being hit.

I don’t agree with the view of Mr. Low. However, at the end of his article, he asked a very valid question: “Is it unwillingness on the part of Goverment to lay down the law clearly for cyclists and provides the necessary cycling lanes and other infrastructure that will engender oerderly behaviour?”

Evon’s first LCSG Ride

by Tay Evon

LoveyclingSG @ Kranji war memorial

I was running late for my first LCSG morning ride. I had my bike folded and tucked behind me in the MRT carriage, hoping to be as invisible as possible to the other passengers (which was actually not that difficult on a Sunday morning at this hour).

Tay Evon

This secondhand folding bike was just bought a month ago from a seller I found on Togoparts* for less than $100. Sure, it’s a bit rusty and clunky with a quirky front brake. But I quite liked its uncommon baby blue colour, complementing the synthetic brown leather saddle. And the fact that it’s vintage, and the seller seemed to have no idea what brand it was; His wife apparently acquired it through a lucky draw years ago, made it even more appealing, in a weird way.

Oh no. I hope they don’t leave without me. I wonder if they take attendance… I pondered, checking my watch. It’s already 7.40am. The group was set to meet at 7.30am and I was already late.

Finally, the MRT door slided open at Kranji station. I dragged my bike off the train and wheeled it down the escalator, and towards the fare gate. After pushing the bike out through the wider gate for handicaps, I looked around.

Ah, there they are! Phew. And I thought I might have to try cycling home if they were gone already. I quickly pushed my bike towards a large group of cyclists gathered at the entrance of the station, their rear lights blinking red.

I hurried to unfold my bike, albeit clumsily. This was one of the few times I’ve had to fold my bike to get somewhere on the train and I hadn’t had much practice. I hope they are not judging my bike handling skills already. Suddenly self-conscious, i nervously clicked my bike frame in place.

As I straightened up and stood beside my bike, I saw that the 40-50 strong crowd was really quite diverse – from young adults, to folks older than her own parents. The diversity seemed to follow on to their bikes too – there were road bikes, mountain bikes, folding bikes, fixed gears, cargo-bikes, recumbents etc.… of all sizes and colours. The cyclists, some dressed in cycling jerseys, some in just plain t-shirts and shorts, were standing around chatting with each other, greeting each other good morning and introducing each other to their new friends.

I’ve always been kind of a socially awkward person, and meeting with a large group of strangers makes me as comfortable as a ballet-dancing elephant in high heels. Too bad my friends aren’t really as enthusiastic about cycling so I resorted to joining a club to meet new people with common interests. I had to do this.

New friends Sharon, Diane and Gwyn

“Hello, good morning!” a woman standing with her friend next to me greeted. They started introducing themselves and I felt myself relax. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

After a few more rounds of introduction and small talk, it was time to set off. The plan of the day was to firstly, ride to the Kranji war memorial for a quick photo, and then off to visit some of the landmarks and farms in the Kranji countryside area.

I took my bike onto the road and mounted. This wasn’t the first time I’ve ridden on the road, but the idea of riding alongside the big scary motor vehicles still unnerves me. But off I went anyway, following the first few riders in front of me, traveling in a line along the left shoulder of the road.

After a couple of junctions, I noticed that people were overtaking me. Oh snap, am I too slow? So I pedaled harder. It was tough to be fast when you’re on a cranky old single-speed foldie.

And even tougher to go uphill, yikes. The turn towards the war memorial was gently steeping and I tried to pedal even harder, panting increasingly as I watched more cyclists overtaking me.

The gates to the war memorial were a welcomed sight when I finally conquered that slope. Gosh, I’m so embarrassingly weak, I despaired.

The group stopped at the carpark in front of the memorial to take a group photo. If there is anything you need to know about LCSG, it’s that they are really kind of an easy-going group that doesn’t take themselves too seriously. They have a signature group photo pose that roughly resembled that of a cross between Johnny Bravo and Action Kamen.

After the photo session, LCSG continued on their bike journey towards the next checkpoint. worried about lagging behind again, I joined the front group, but soon enough, fell behind as more cyclists overtook her snail-like pace midway. I figured They were probably just too polite to overtake right from the start.

When they finally stopped at a reservoir park for a water break, a couple of cyclists came up to her.

Single file!

“Nice bike. Single speed? Wow you’re brave.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” I managed, fumbling with my water bottle for a drink.

“Hmm… Maybe you should try adjusting your seat post higher so you can straighten your legs during the downstroke. It’ll be easier and more effortless to pedal uphill this way.”

“Oh is it? How high should I adjust it? But I’m kind of afraid that I’d lose balance when I can’t touch the ground with my feet.”

“It’s like that when you’re a beginner. I was like that too when I first started cycling. But you’ll get used to it soon, la! don’t worry.”

And it worked. I hopped onto my adjusted bike and was surprised at how easy it pedaled. Although that did not really solve my speed problem. Some cyclists cheered “jiayou!” for me as they rode past effortlessly. I might as well be riding on a century old tortoise.

There were more upslopes along the journey and I struggled to keep up. Luckily there was a “sweeper” behind every group ride to ensure no slowpoke, such as this one, gets left behind.

The sweeper and some experienced cyclists rode behind me, dishing out encouraging pointers such as, “Okay, upslope ahead, pedal as fast as you can now to gain momentum!”

or “Lorry ahead, slow down and be careful!”

or “Switch to the right lane now and follow those ahead at the right turn!”

or “Keep your hands on the brakes while going downhill. Look out for potholes.”

It was like having my own personal trainers on the go.

We stopped at a few more places-of-interest before settling at a vegetable farm for a nice breakfast where I got to sit down and get to know a few more cyclists in the group. A couple even let me test ride their bikes.

Visiting Bollywood farm


Visiting Bollywood farm


Visiting Bollywood farm

By the time the ride ended, the sun was out full-blast and at its peak. The group departed Kranji Countryside back towards the MRT station on their bikes. I was worn out but satisfied at surviving my first LCSG ride as I folded her bike and went up the train.

Can’t wait to see where the next LCSG ride would bring me, I thought with a grin on my suntanned face. //

Letter to the Minister of Transport, Mr. Lui Tuck Yew

To:
Mr. Lui Tuck Yew

C.C.
lim_boon_wee@mot.gov.sg, (Deputy Secretary MOT)
hock_yong_chew@lta.gov.sg, (CEO of LTA)
teo_ser_luck@mti.gov.sg (Mr. Teo Sur Luck)

Dear Minister,

We are LovecyclingSG, a group of ordinary people who love cycling in Singapore. Among us there are parents, children and friends. We have been cycling all around Singapore every Sunday morning since 2 years ago. Cycling opens our eyes and minds and enhanced our appreciation of Singapore as a green, modern city.

We believe cycling is for everyone and it is the most eco-friendly, healthy and human way of moving around besides walking. A number of our 1800 members are considering to cycle to work or have already done so. We are grateful for world-class road infrastructure and public transportation today, and we do hope the same can be done to facilitate safe cycling.

The recent incidents along Changi Coast Road and Lower Delta road, where three cyclists were killed in a crash involving cars and bicycle, highlighting the fact that the main source of danger for cyclists are motorized vehicles, especially fast moving big vehicles. These heart breaking incidents can be and should be avoided or mitigated.

Apart from the need to improve education for drivers/cyclists to adopt a gracious road attitude, we would like to highlight two areas for consideration:

Firstly, there is a general feeling that the penalty for life endangering behavior like drink driving, reckless driving or speeding are way too lenient to be effective as a deterrence.

Secondly, roads and junction design and configuration seem to undermine the safety of human (pedestrians and cyclists), and in favor of smoother movement for cars. For example:

– Large radius at road corner facilitate smooth turning with little or no need to slow down, but pedestrians or cyclist pushing a bike crossing the road has to look behind (right) to make sure no careless driver. The extra crossing distance needed to cover the radius exposes children, elderly or disabled people to more danger of cars. Pedestrian crossing is safer to be drawn at least 15 meter from the junction.

– Many lanes are wider than standard, these wide lanes encourage speeding because it feels slower on a wide open lane compared to a narrower lane. Such lanes can be narrowed down and at the same time, create some breathing space for cyclists between the double yellow lines and the curb side.

We should review our current road design. Many life-endangering situations can be reduced by a simple adjustment of the road marking or minor reconstruction. It will help to calm the speeding traffic and will certainly help to save the lives of healthy living people who may be our family members or friends.

We hope a serious investigation can be initiated by MOT, involving the feedback of all road users and stake-holders, with the intention to come to :

1) improve legislation to allow the law to deal with irresponsible driving behavior more effectively
2) improve road and junction design in favour of human life over slight speed gain of car movement.

We are more than happy to help in this investigation as a feedback group. Many of us are drivers and understand traffic rules well.
We look forward to your response and to meet up to provide our feedback and suggestions.

Best regards,

Francis Chu & Taiwoon Woon
on behalf of LovecyclingSG
—————————————

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