ROAD SAFETY FOR CYCLISTS

ROAD SAFETY FOR CYCLISTS: 9.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs given the recent accidents involving cyclists on roads, what is being done to (i) improve safety on roads for cyclists; (ii) educate motorists that cyclists have a right to be on the roads; and (iii) condition motorists to look out for cyclists.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, in the first nine months of 2009, there were 420 fatal and injury accidents involving cyclists. This is a decrease of 30 cases, or 6.7%, as compared to the same period in 2008. The number of fatal accidents in the first nine months this year has also decreased to 15, from 18 in the same period last year.

Investigations show that for fatal and serious road traffic accidents involving

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cyclists over the first nine months of both 2009 and 2008, slightly more than 50% of the cyclists are found to be at fault. The common causes of accidents where the cyclists are at fault are, namely, changing lanes without due care, failing to keep a proper look out and failing to give way to traffic with right of way.

The Traffic Police has been educating the public on safe cycling habits as well as the proper sharing of roads by cyclists and other road users.

Traffic Police conducts road safety talks and exhibitions at schools and community-level events to educate all cyclists on traffic rules and regulations. These talks cover a pre-riding checklist, safe cycling tips and case studies of accidents involving cyclists. As part of the ongoing "Road Safety Outreach Campaign", posters and leaflets on cyclist safety are also handed out during these talks and exhibitions. To reach out to foreign-worker cyclists, Traffic Police produces and screens a safe cycling video in different languages at the Ministry of Manpower premises and at the dormitories.

Motorists also have a significant role to play on our busy roads in according due care to cyclists. This is underscored from the onset of a learner driver’s theory and practical training. Motorists are therefore taught to give a side clearance of not less than 1.5 metres from cyclists when passing them. Motorists are also taught not to make sharp turns at corners and to slow down and give way to cyclists if it is not safe to turn. It is a strict requirement for trainees to check their blind spots during driving instructions and tests. This is to ensure that drivers are aware of motorcyclists and cyclists who might not come within their mirror views.

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While the Police will continue in their efforts to educate the public and take the necessary enforcement action, all cyclists and motorists must play their part and take responsibility for their own safety as well as according due care to the safety of other users of our roads.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong (Tampines): Sir, while the number of fatal accidents may have decreased slightly, the roads remain very dangerous for cyclists. Recently, there was a report that three cyclists were killed in one day on our roads. Can I ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary, given that the Government is now promoting cycling as a green mode of transport and that there are many more cyclists on the roads today, whether he would consider more robust and proactive measures on the part of the Police to educate motorists? As he said, they accounted for more than 50% of the cause of fatal accidents on roads involving cyclists.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The Police certainly takes proactive measures on this. In 2008, we had issued about 471 summonses so that errant cyclists are taken to task. The bulk of these was issued to cyclists because they failed to ride in an orderly manner. In the same way, too, we take a lot of steps to educate the public – cyclists as well as motorcyclists and motorists – to ensure that they accord due care to others when they drive or cycle on the roads.