ROAD SAFETY MEASURES FOR CYCLISTS

ROAD SAFETY MEASURES FOR CYCLISTS

24.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong asked the Minister for Transport whether his Ministry will consider measures to improve safety on roads for cyclists, in particular (i) providing bicycle lanes on designated roads frequently used by cyclists; (ii) traffic calming; and (iii) appropriate road signage and markings to educate motorists to share road space with cyclists.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: Our land is scarce and road space limited. We therefore have to make sure that our road space is optimally utilised. Our focus is therefore to make it safe for the various road users to share the space we have.

Generally, the leftmost lane on which most cyclists travel is usually wider than the other lanes. This helps to accommodate the sharing of lane by cyclists and other motorists. Notwithstanding this, the LTA is also working with various community stakeholders and the Traffic Police to roll out a $43 million programme to design and

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construct dedicated cycle tracks in five selected HDB Towns to facilitate intra-town cycling as a mode of transport.

Traffic calming measures are implemented along localised sections of roads where there is a need to moderate the speed of vehicles to suit the prevailing traffic conditions. These measures could include installing humps and strips or narrowing the lane with dividers and central islands. While there may be circumstances where cyclists would appreciate slower motor vehicle speeds, we also have to be mindful of the trade-offs when installing such measures.

The installation of humps and strips, for example may affect the riding comfort of cyclists and their control of the bicycle. The narrowing of lanes may give rise to a situation where motorists have less room to overtake cyclists. Motorists may also get upset if they have to slow down too often. Nevertheless, if the Member has specific suggestions as where such traffic calming measures can be effective, LTA will be glad to look into it.

To improve the safety of cyclists on the roads, LTA had worked with the Safe Cycling Task Force (SCTF) to install signs alerting motorists of the presence of cyclists along frequently used cycling routes, such as those in the West Coast and the Thomson areas. The scheme has been extended to selected routes along Mandai Road and Tuas Road as well. So far, the signs have been found to be effective and LTA will be putting them up at more roads that cyclists frequent.

The safety of all road users, whether they be drivers, cyclists or pedestrians, is a shared responsibility. All road users will have to play their part by following the traffic rules and regulations, and exercise mutual accommodation and due consideration for each other.