Cyclists are the sandwiched class in road use. They should keep off footpaths and be on the road as most cyclists on these paths are a dangerous menace to pedestrians. Some of the asshole cyclists zip by you and force you off onto the grass patch, or cycle close behind and then ding their bells loudly if they have one to startle old uncle or aunty pedestrians who did not hear them coming, onto the grass or worse onto the road. Cyclists don't belong on footpaths. The police should fine cyclists on pedestrian walkways like they do in London.
However, cyclists are the lowest on the food chain once on the road. Even lower than Malaysian death-defying motorbikes you see on all major roads darting in and out trying to knock into your car to and from Woodlands causeway! This sad fact of asphalt Darwinism was seen in the tragic accident of Freddy Khoo. He was a triathlete and thus had community support from other fancy bikes pals in trying to bring road safety education to drivers - cyclists are not meant to be roadkill.
The death of fancy bike cyclists is fucking tragic, fuck, all deaths on the roads is tragic - the poor local uncle, or Bangla, or Tiong cyclist. The motorcyclist and his pillion, the car driver and his passengers, the bus and passengers on board, also the pedestrian who is at the wrong road or junction at the wrong time even if the poor fellow was obeying the rules and waiting to cross on the side of the road.
Now cyclists, mostly hobbyists and hobbyist-commuters, are jumping up and down and swinging their bike pumps angrily about 1.5m zone what fuck and dedicated cycling path. Some have taken a reasoned view of the situation nonetheless. Let me repeat, road accidents and fatalities are fucking awful. I grieve for road deaths caused by asshole drivers or bikers or truckers or even jay walking pedestrians. But if there is any widening of roads or special lanes, sorry fancy bike cyclists, wait in line. I would say the motorbikes deserve that special lane more urgently than cyclists. Not because they pay road tax and cyclists don't. But coz there are more motorbikes than cyclists and they should be taken care off first. UNLESS we are saying motorbikes and cyclists share a lane, which defies West European concepts of cycling lanes but it's fine by me as why must follow the Ang Moh colonial style?. Or maybe it is a bus-bike-bicycle lane! However, a deadly cocktail IMHO when buses squeeze into the lane.
Besides, WTF has a special lane for cyclists got to do with their safety seriously. If it is a asshole, drunk, sleepy or lousy driver, she or he is going to mow cyclists down anyway even if there is a bike lane or 3m safety zone or not! You seen some of those blurfuck tai-tai or aunties driving their Q7? Or those young think bigfuck drivers in their Swift or WRX? And it does not help that some asshole recreational Amstrong-wannabe cyclists cycle 2-3 abreast on the fucking road. They don't deserve to get run down of course, nobody deserves to get injured or killed on the road. Cycling lanes won't help, neither would the whining of some me-me-me cyclists as this guy puts it fairly accurately. It is just basic road safety and sense that can prevent accidents from cyclists to drivers to pedestrians. It's not about cyclists, it's about not being a dick on the roads.
However, cyclists are the lowest on the food chain once on the road. Even lower than Malaysian death-defying motorbikes you see on all major roads darting in and out trying to knock into your car to and from Woodlands causeway! This sad fact of asphalt Darwinism was seen in the tragic accident of Freddy Khoo. He was a triathlete and thus had community support from other fancy bikes pals in trying to bring road safety education to drivers - cyclists are not meant to be roadkill.
The death of fancy bike cyclists is fucking tragic, fuck, all deaths on the roads is tragic - the poor local uncle, or Bangla, or Tiong cyclist. The motorcyclist and his pillion, the car driver and his passengers, the bus and passengers on board, also the pedestrian who is at the wrong road or junction at the wrong time even if the poor fellow was obeying the rules and waiting to cross on the side of the road.
Now cyclists, mostly hobbyists and hobbyist-commuters, are jumping up and down and swinging their bike pumps angrily about 1.5m zone what fuck and dedicated cycling path. Some have taken a reasoned view of the situation nonetheless. Let me repeat, road accidents and fatalities are fucking awful. I grieve for road deaths caused by asshole drivers or bikers or truckers or even jay walking pedestrians. But if there is any widening of roads or special lanes, sorry fancy bike cyclists, wait in line. I would say the motorbikes deserve that special lane more urgently than cyclists. Not because they pay road tax and cyclists don't. But coz there are more motorbikes than cyclists and they should be taken care off first. UNLESS we are saying motorbikes and cyclists share a lane, which defies West European concepts of cycling lanes but it's fine by me as why must follow the Ang Moh colonial style?. Or maybe it is a bus-bike-bicycle lane! However, a deadly cocktail IMHO when buses squeeze into the lane.
Besides, WTF has a special lane for cyclists got to do with their safety seriously. If it is a asshole, drunk, sleepy or lousy driver, she or he is going to mow cyclists down anyway even if there is a bike lane or 3m safety zone or not! You seen some of those blurfuck tai-tai or aunties driving their Q7? Or those young think bigfuck drivers in their Swift or WRX? And it does not help that some asshole recreational Amstrong-wannabe cyclists cycle 2-3 abreast on the fucking road. They don't deserve to get run down of course, nobody deserves to get injured or killed on the road. Cycling lanes won't help, neither would the whining of some me-me-me cyclists as this guy puts it fairly accurately. It is just basic road safety and sense that can prevent accidents from cyclists to drivers to pedestrians. It's not about cyclists, it's about not being a dick on the roads.
At the vastly different speeds that bicycles and motor vehicles are travelling, it makes sense from a safety viewpoint to have a separate lane segregating bicycles from faster moving vehicles. But financially, with cycle lanes and consequently motorists ditching their motor vehicles for bicycles, the gahmen will have to raise GST to compensate for the lost registration fee, import duty, COE, road tax, diesel and petrol tax, ERP and parking charges and traffic summons or there will be no money to pay themselves. So, do you think there will be bicycle lanes?
ReplyDeleteSaycheese
Yesssss, let's have a B-lane -- for buses, bikes and bicycles.
ReplyDeleteMillions of sharks die every year and no one KPKB....
ReplyDeletelast i heard, some unlucky wild boars are about to meet their maker.. and no one kpkb...
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1:27pm - As cyclists don't pay tax, COE, ERP, you answered it. No lanes for them on the road. Maybe on footpaths! I hope not.
ReplyDeleteThe - B lanes would be an interesting experiment!
Hum Yee Fan Sang - Actually got many people KPKB about sharks. They telling us not to eat shark fins. All the more I take extra bowls of shark fin at wedding dinners.
Anonymous - Got some people KPKB. The best is ask these people to bring home the wild boars take care themselves.
It is unfortunate, but most cyclists I've encountered are a**holes. Among the worst are those that zoom down overhead bridges disregarding the safety of other users.
ReplyDelete