Ride of Silence Singapore report

The Singapore Ride of Silence last night had a great turnout and was a lot of fun! There was festive atmosphere at the Merlion as everyone waited their turn to set out.

It was wonderful to feel the safety-in-numbers effect of riding in a large group.

My group had about 40 and there was little choice but to claim a whole lane (but only one!). Singapore law does not condone riding two or more abreast but it seemed the safest approach with such a group. It quickly became obvious that tempting motorists to squeeze into the lane with us was a bad idea. Fortunately, the motorists around us seemed to accept this and mostly behaved very patiently. The ride was all on multi-lane roads and the peak traffic seemed to be over so I saw no congestion resulting from the ride. I was at the front and tried friendly waves to as many passing motorists as possible with a mouthed 'thank you' and got a few thumbs up signals back.

Mr Brown has a report too and estimates 400 riders, which was about my guess too. The Joyriders were carefully counting so I guess we will hear the real number sooner or later.

Otterman (Sivasothi on this list) has a report with a couple of video clips of groups on Holland Rd.

Well done Joyriders and Benoit for organising the event and for getting so much positive press coverage.

Don't forget the positive vision: cycling as safe and convenient

Tonight's Ride of Silence in Singapore and Worldwide is an important event to raise awareness of the need to make cycling in Singapore much safer.

But as we pay our respects to those who have been killed or injured, let's not forget that we have a positive vision for cycling. Riding a bicycle can and should be safe and convenient for ordinary people, not just heroic athletes in lycra and helments.

A post today at Streetsblog asks if pro-cycling organisations are making a mistake to emphasise the danger so much. Dutch and Danish bicycle promotion efforts make bicycles seem fun, easy to use and safe (see the bike promotion poster below from the Netherlands).

Let's work towards the day when we can truthfully promote cycling in Singapore in the same way.

Ride of Silence (Singapore) - 20 May 2009

"A cyclist with a cause," by Agatha Koh Brazil [agatha@mediacorp.com.sg].
Today, 12 May 2009

A CYCLIST WITH A CAUSE
----------------------

SOON after he arrived in Singapore in 2007, Benoit Valin got a bicycle to ride to his office at Buona Vista. Just as quickly too, on a rainy October day, he was rendered a bloody mess along Portsdown Road by a motorist who turned without looking.

Then the motorist in the car behind honked at him to get out of the way. "She well saw that I had blood on my head and other parts of my body, but she waved her fist to threaten me," says the 31-year-old Canadian.

That wasn’t the only incident for the dedicated "bike commuter". "Commuting is the only time I can ride my bike. Unfortunately, it is also the most dangerous time of the day (to do so)." Other close calls include one in January when a driver shot across three lanes of Commonwealth Avenue and Benoit had to swerve to avoid him. In doing so, he had to "touch" the car to avoid being hit by a bus. That enraged the motorist who "chased down" the road for about a kilometre. "Then he came out of the car, fists in the air,” recalls the Ottawa native.

In February, along Bukit Timah Road, a driver shot across two lanes and narrowly avoided clipping him. "At the light, I knocked on his window to talk. He did the 'I’ve done nothing wrong, you’re on the road and you have no place here' speech," says Benoit. "That about sums it up. This happens about every week, but I don’t make a fuss about them ... only when they really have to be educated."

May 20 is when he hopes this will happen. That is when Ride of Silence Singapore - he is the organiser - will kick off at 7pm from Merlion Park at Clifford Pier. Attending riders will dress in white and ride - in silence - to honour those killed or injured while cycling on public roads. Last year, there were about 22 such deaths here, and this year, the figure already stands at six, says Benoit. It is expected to increase with the escalating popularity of cycling.

The riders here will join others worldwide in a silent slow ride on May 20 to raise the awareness of motorists and other road users as well as that of the authorities. The first ride originated in the United States city of Dallas, after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was killed when hit by the mirror of a passing bus. Officials from the Safe Cycling Task Force will also join in. The route (yet to be approved) will cover 19km or so.

Cycling for Benoit has been a 14-year “love story”. At 17 and at college, he needed money, so he started cycling extensively as a messenger in Ottawa. At university in Boston, he volunteered for Bikes Not Bombs, a not-for-profit organisation that recycles old bikes for third-world countries. Graduate school between 2001 and 2006 meant never staying long enough in a place to sustain a devotion to a cause. Until Singapore, where he saw "how road, and cycling safety could improve the quality of life for everyone".

That encounter in February made the bachelor decide to dedicate his spare time to cycling safety. He then had a cause, but no means to reach out. "Changing the world by yourself, when all you see is the same five people every day is very difficult," says the bioinformatics scientist for a pharmaceutical company. In April, he received an email from Canada’s National Capital Commission, advertising the Ride of Silence. "It was an epiphany. I found the means to unite people in support for a cause that affects everyone," he says.

There have been 100 responses from his Facebook group so far. Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Vivian Balakrishnan is scheduled to be present, as is Senior Parliamentary Secretary for MCYS and Ministry of Transport, Mr Teo Ser Luck.

Benoit clocks about 1,000km a month riding from his Bukit Batok home to Buona Vista. When the 200km of park connectors are completed by 2015, "Singapore will become a world-class haven for cyclists." "Unfortunately, park connectors don’t go everywhere. They cover only 60 per cent of my commute. The challenge is coping with traffic and the dangers of traffic." That means drivers of every ilk, as well as pedestrians, especially "those who zig-zag between cars at lights and pop up without warning". Cyclists who ride at night without lights and reflectors, wearing dark clothes, and those who ride against traffic and through lights are at fault, too.

Benoit is keen that helmets be worn, and made mandatory for riders under 12. "Deaths can never be reduced to zero. Drivers need to learn how to communicate their intentions clearly to cyclists (and vice versa). The rules of the road need to be clearer so they can be respected. Only then can roads be safer." Cycling safety should be incorporated into driving classes and tested during the theory test. Physical education teachers too, should teach cycling safety, he says.

"On a bicycle, safety means staying alive."

Singapore’s first such ride was in 2006, started by Jimi Loh. But the rides were never registered with the US and not publicised. Benoit and Mr Loh will work together next year. For details visit www.rideofsilence.org

Email your views to voices@mediacorp.com.sg

Registration for bicycles? Debate in the USA

A bicycle registration debate has just just erupted in the USA too. San Francisco Streetsblog tackles the issue.

Of course, bicycles used to be registered in Singapore and the idea has been suggested again recently. The main trigger here seems to be concern about bad behaviour by bicycle users on pedestrian pavements.

The American debate involves some different issues from Singapore's but there also some parallels which might be of interest.

More pavement cycling problems

Aussie Pete has some observations about the unhappy state of sharing the pavements on Woodlands Ave 7. He notes some progress... but is not optimistic that much will change.

My take: Any effort to change the behaviour of bicycle users needs to be compelling or it will not work. Many cyclists use the pavements now because it seems the safest option. This will continue until there is a safe option that is more attractive than pavements.

Rent and return bicycles between Changi and ECP

Six new bicycle kiosks have opened along the Eastern Coastal Park Connector Network. These allow the rental and return of bicycles at any of the six kiosks, so a weak cyclist who has made his first enjoyable ride to East Coast Park does not have to dread the 8km ride back to Changi to return the bicycle - he just needs to return it to the relevant kiosk in ECP.

Of the entire PCN, it is the Changi Beach Park to East Coast Park stretch which I recommend to friends out to get a taste of cycling in Singapore. The scenery is nice and the route is very safe with only three junction crossings. The inland parts of the PCN are less hospitable so is best explored later when their cycling skills have improved and they want to explore. Rental rates are $5/hour.

Pity there is no Pasir Ris Park station though. The stations are at:

• Sun Plaza Park (Tampines)


• Changi Beach Park Area Car Park 1,


• Changi Beach Park Car Park 7


• East Coast Park Area G


• East Coast Park Area C,


• Telok Kurau Park
  
  
  
  
  
  "No need to backtrack to return rental bike," by Maria Almenoar. The Straits Times, 10 March 2009.
  
  

  A NEW spin on recreational cycling has hit the four connected parks on the East Coast.
  Six new bicycle rental kiosks strung out along the bike paths now allow cyclists to pick up and drop off their rented wheels at any of these pit stops.
  
  Bye bye to the need to backtrack to the kiosk from which the bicycle was rented, as is the required practice with bike rental stations now.
  
  The National Parks Board (NParks) awarded the tender to run the new service to Lifestyle Recreation, a company which has been renting out bicycles and in-line skates at the East Coast Park since 2001.
  
  Its kiosks can be found at East Coast Park Area C, East Coast Park Area G, Changi Beach Park Area Car Park 1, Sun Plaza Park, Changi Beach Park Car Park 7 and Telok Kurau Park. Two more may be set up in the Bedok and Pasir Ris town parks.
  
  Rental rates are comparable to other rental outlets in the area - $5 an hour for a bike and $10 an hour for a tandem bicycle. A cyclist needs to produce his or her identity card to rent a bike.
  
  Lifestyle Recreation is also looking into providing an all-day service in which a cyclist picks up a bike and can return it even after the rental stations have closed for the day.
  
  A cyclist who plans on returning the bike late first books and pays for the rental online. A bicycle number and code to the bicycle lock is then sent to him in a text message.
  
  Ms Susanna Tay, Lifestyle Recreation's managing director, said: 'When NParks opened the new park connectors, we knew that cyclists did not want to be restricted on where they could ride, so this is a value-added service we can provide.'
  
  She added that the company may allow the same rental arrangement for in-line skates if there is a demand.
  
  Photographer Alex Wee, 35, who heads to East Coast Park every two months for cycling, is now game to explore the East Coast's four parks.
  
  He said: 'Usually you don't get to cycle far and see much because you have to backtrack to return the bicycle. They should consider having a public transport link at either end as well.'

Bicycles on pavements: Does it work in Japan?

Sidewalk cycling in Tokyo

Singapore is getting closer to a decision about legalising bicycle use on footways, at least in Tampines.

So I was pleased to stumble on a relevant paper. It focuses on Japan's experience. Since 1978 Japan has been the only major country to allow bicycle riding on most footway pavements. Scroll down for the author's conclusion.

Evaluation of shared use of bicycles and pedestrians in Japan

Author(s): P. Zhe, H. Yamanaka & K. Kakihara

Abstract:
Shared use of bicycles and pedestrians on sidewalks can be commonly seen all over Japan.

Cycling on sidewalks in Japan was permitted from 1978 following deregulation of the Road Traffic Law, which was urgent treatment to secure cyclists’ safety due to a lack of road space.

This was permitted on sidewalks with appropriate width and traffic conditions.

Although bicycles are still regarded as a vehicle and cyclists have to use the carriageway along with motor vehicles according to the Road Traffic Law, many bicycle users prefer to use sidewalks.

Cycle/pedestrian shared use would surely be disadvantageous related to the safety and amenity of pedestrians, and to the reduction of cycling speed.

Shared use with pedestrians, however, has advantages of safety and freedom for utility cyclists, which seems to be related to the fact that Japan has a high level of the modal share of bicycles used for going shopping or to school.

In addition, the number of women or aged users tends to be high compared with major motorized countries.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the level-of-service of shared use by pedestrians and bicycles, from the viewpoints of users’ safety and comfort considering traffic volume in shared use space.

By using a video survey of shared use streets, the authors analyzed the relationship between cycling speed, frequency of hindrance and traffic density or traffic volume of street users.

In conclusion, the author proposes the conditions necessary to apply shared use of bicycles and pedestrians on the sidewalks, considering the traffic flow of pedestrians and bicycles per width of sidewalks Keywords:
bicycle, shared use, level-of-service, Japan.

... Pages: 10
Size: 1,017 kb

And here is their conclusion:

"The authors analysed hindrance behaviour by considering traffic volume per sidewalk width of pedestrians and bicycles, and proposed the minimum level of traffic conditions needed to apply shared use of bicycles and pedestrians on the sidewalks. As a result the necessary condition to coexistence of bicycles and pedestrians was found to be less than 0.5 pedestrians/minute/m and less than 3.0cyclists/minute･m. The standard for pedestrian/bicycle share use in terms of hourly traffic volume is less than 26 pedestrians / hour and 108 cyclists / hour for 2m wide sidewalks.

In future studies we aim to look at development of education or information methods (signs, road marking, colouring, etc.) on the street for bicycles and pedestrians to ensure the safety and comfort shared use for utility cyclists."

My take on what this means for Singapore? If we do legalise pavement cycling, we should also make an effort to provide attractive detours for bicycle users to avoid busy sections of walkway OR dramatically widen the effective width of the pavement at busy sections.

The paper pdf is free to download but you need to register first.