It targets both driver and cyclist behaviour.
Traffic Enforcement for Bicyclist Safety from Chicago Bicycle Program on Vimeo.
Unfortunately our road rules in Singapore lack many of the bicycle-friendly features that are present in Chicago.
Despite all the obvious differences, this video would be a great model for Singapore's authorities to think about if they wanted to push for safer on-road cycling here in Singapore.
11 comments:
I like the rules that motorists should not turn in front of a bicycle. This can be immediately implemented here!
Most local drivers do exactly the same thing! Opening their car doors without checking, taking left or right turns without caring that the bike is just right beside them, driving super close to cyclists that leaves only about an inch of space! I was almost squashed by a SBS Transit bus once along Bukit Timah road when the driver intentionally kept inching closer to me, causing my handlebar to hit the side of the bus. Thank God I wasn't traveling fast. Else my front wheel could have been swerved off course dangerously and hit the curb on my left!
Once when the lights turned green and I was heading straight the car on my right did a left turn right in front of me! Hitting my front wheel and I had to walk home because the rim was crooked...
Now I never cycle alone after having bad experiences with not only cars but also bus drivers. It'll be great if drivers could learn to be a little more tolerant instead of being impatient most of the time.
On one hand, it's driver fault. On the other hand, I have never experience what you described in my near 10 years of on road cycling as my main commuting mode. I would conclude that you need to ride more defensively.
On certain roads such as Bukit Timah road, which are older and/or with narrower left lanes, need to be extremely careful with up coming buses. I find a rear mirror very helpful. Hope you are using one.
Still, I don't quite understanding why, if you were already riding slowly, noticed the bus inching closer to you, yet you couldn't/didn't brake further to avoid the contact?
If you were riding while the lights turned green, then I don't think you should expect the driver would check before turning, even though the driver should. If you had stopped at the traffic light, then my practice is to stop in front of other cars so that they know I am there.
Personally, I find bus drivers have been treating cyclists much better as compared to when I started riding on roads in 1996.
I drive to work but am a keen cyclist. I'm not saying it's a generality but I have also seen instances of bad cylist habits. Riding 2 or 3 abreast on congested roads, riding on expressways, riding against traffic direction, riding without safety gear or lights, to name a few. Just the other night, a cyclist on the Ulu Pandan PCN blared his very loud horn at joggers who were slow to move out of his way. Plenty of room for both drivers and cyclists to be better trained in sharing common space.
I am convinced that vehicular driver attitudes and behaviour in Singapore has worsened to dangerous levels. Two typical examples from yesterday. One was an exuberant mini bus driver who shot past me at no more than 30cm on Pioneer Rd, and another an OPC driver who insisted on turning right into Ghim Moh Rd when I had raised my hand to indicate I was going straight on Commonwealth Ave West. He then had to abruptly stop (in the middle of the road) because a pedestrian was crossing, and I swerved to avoid him. This is criminal! These episodes happen quite often and I'm sure won't be the last time I find myself in them. I refuse to give up this recreation for such mindless creatures but I also fully recognise the risks I subject myself to, each time I take my bicycle out to the roads. Defensive riding has probably kept me intact these years but surely that cannot be a solution in itself. Must the death toll here keep rising for the authorities to act on this adverse trend?
I was slightly amused to read an article in the Today paper today publishing a letter which contained points surrounding the misconceptions of scuba diving and whether dive related accidents were just "once every 2 years". No doubt the world has lost a talented and wonderful person in that tragic acccident, however as a pure statistic, it pales in comparison to the sheer number of road cyclists who die or are maimed needlessly year after year.
We stand proud for the records and accolades we are able to achieve as a small nation. Why can't we do more for this sport and mode of transport right here in Singapore? Will it take a prominent person to be hurt cycling for it to be more compelling?
[Ed: Go ahead to remove the last sentence if you feel it too controversial.]
Bicycling as an everyday mode of transportation has obvious benefits. It saves money, gives one a nice workout AND it's environmentally friendly. Despite ALL that, it is difficult to convince more people to cycle, because the roads are unsafe due to negligence.
Motorists need to learn to look out for cyclists, and cyclists need to be respectful of rules on the road.
Join G.Wheelers on 29 Nov at Xtreme SkatePark to express support for cycling and other green modes of transportation!
Go G.Wheelers!
Great video. However all these rules are not applicable to Singapore because it needs a hundred more years to drive the point into my fellow Singaporeans' mind that Bicyclists are part of the road.
I just got a foldie and attempted at riding the bike a few occasions. In just a few rides, I got into a few close shaves;
1) Upper Thomson Road - Car tried to turn in front of me while it is obvious that I riding straight on. He did a hard stop after he realise that he couldn't pass me.
2) Upper Thomson Road - Cab did a hard left and a hard stop right in front of me to pick up customer.
3) Kallang - Cab driver was talking happily to customer while he approached a junction that I had to cycle across, adjacent to him. We exchanged eye contacts but he drove on nonetheless. I had to stop for him in the middle of the road intersection.
4) Braddell Road- Bus driver decided to drive his bendy bus as close to me as possible at 6:30am when the road is not busy. I had to make a hard stop so that the bus will not "whip" into me.
I posted a comment on the ST forum about respect for Bicyclist on the road but many people posted comments that Bicyclists in Singapore "deserve to die" if they use the road.
While it is evident that some Bicyclists are riding so dangerously on the roads(along expressways, zipping in and out of lanes etc), Singaporeans drivers just do not have the patience or the mind to treat the Bicyclists as equal. It could be that they had to pay a high price for their cars so they deserve to drive their cars on the roads and none should delay them, or they are too nonchalant about the lives of Bicyclists. They see the Bicycles and not the Bicyclists. I drive on the roads as well but if there's a Bicyclist in front on me, I just filter out if there's an opportunity or just be a bit patient. All the paddling fellow did in front of me was to delay me by 30 seconds at best!
I am a Singaporean but I simply could not understand the mindset of the fellow driving Singaporeans.
Singaporeans simply have a sickness inside them.
From my own experience cycling down Bukit Timah at around 4.30 am when all 3 lanes were empty. On a straight stretch where this taxi driver could have seen me from quite a distance yet he chose to come up behind me in the left most lane and sound his horn.
We were the only 2 vehicles there at 4+ am and to make it worse, I was not even in the middle of that left most lane. He could have easily gone by even if he had stubbornly choosen to use that lane instead of the other 2.
Good Video, but not feasible in Singapore, except on the "No turning in front of bicycle rule".
In face, from the video, it is quite clear that some cyclist are kind of reckless going between cars. Shouldn't cyclist stick to rules too? It works both ways.
By the say, I am a cyclist (to work and leisure), and also a motorist.
It has been 3 years, anyone any update about the cycling situation in Chicago?
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