Can cyclists be punished for reckless riding on the road?
For context, I was on a bus passing through the CBD area this morning and the bus was stuck between a formation of cyclists near the Esplanade Bridge (2 in front, and 4 beside the bus).
One cyclist that was riding in front of the bus suddenly changed his mind right before entering the bridge by braking and ducking to the pavement on the left (he pretty much ditched his bike and dived towards the pavement), forcing the bus driver to jam-brake, sending all 4 passengers (myself included) flying forward and slamming into various parts within the bus.
An elderly man seated at the reserved section was flung into the ground by the force, causing cuts in his face and bruises, while my knees and forearm were slammed into the metal plate separating the standing section and seats due to the force, resulting in some cuts and bruises.
Just out of sheer curiosity, are there any laws or regulations governing reckless cycling on the road?
Netizens’ comments
- You could try filing a complaint with the bus company; if it’s the cyclist’s fault they’d be very interested in tracking down the cyclist.
- Nope, you’re on your own. Cyclist are the cockroaches of the road, you can’t do anything to them and they aren’t regulated.
The bus should have kept a safe distance from the cyclists. You can claim your medical bills against the bus company. - Eh. I think the cyclist slow + CMI and then paiseh to be holding up the bus you are on that’s why he ducked onto the pavement.
Makes no sense the bus had to emergency brake unless the cyclist wasn’t on the extreme left (and had cut into the bus lane before ducking onto the pavement) or the bus driver wasn’t maintaining a safety distance away or keeping 1.5m abreast from the cyclist?
Like tailgating a slow “vehicle” just that this time round it’s a cyclist. - How to track them when they have no license plate? That’s how they beat red lights and do whatever they want without consequences.
- Just encounter one idiot moved from lane 4 to lane 1 one Tampines Ave 10
- Cyclist aside, the bus driver will likely be reprimanded for following too closely/ not maintaining safe gap. Typically, if the car in front of you stops for no reason it’s the following driver’s duty to ensure there’s sufficient space for their vehicle to come to a safe stop.
A very sudden stop or lane change may change this but not usually if the following driver had sufficient opportunity to take defensive steps (eg slow down, create space). This standard is applied particularly harshly to drivers of heavy vehicles (classes 4+) involved in accidents.