Another one involving a cyclist, near my work place. This time the cyclist seems to have been luckier than this one.
Any accident is not pretty. Accidents will happen, thats why they are called accidents. No one plans for it nor does any one want to be involved. But they do happen. And when it does, it is sad and makes one wonder how to make things better.
Education is one.
Respect for another persons life (over your time) is one.
Better infrastructure is another.
I don’t know what was the cause of this accident. Was the cyclist at fault? Or was it the truck? All I know is that the cyclist is in the hospital and the truck driver is no where to be seen.
The problem in this case I think is a combination of bad design and bad driving combined. The ramp up ahead leads to an expressway and as a consequence the left lane is ironically the fastest. Secondly, Drivers do not seem to realize which lane they should be taking and since this is an exit that can save a few additional minutes by avoiding a detour, most people seem to decide to switch lanes in the last minute (The white car revved past to jump lanes as I was taking this picture). With disastrous consequences again.
There is a lot of evidence of impatient driving at this crossing. I work around here but I have no need to ride on this road. Even if I have to, I guess I will have to spend time understanding the traffic conditions or find a way to avoid this route.
There are many a times when drivers do not bother checking the traffic signals. I can count 4 instances of trying to cross this road under Signal when Somebody decides to jump the red and scare you to the bone.
I guess nothing can be done given the ramp cannot be moved out. However, cyclists and pedestrians should exert caution, given that none of the drivers along here seems to care. As a matter of fact, the LTA does not seem to care either. Many serious accidents have happened here and no one wants to re-look at the design of the lanes
Whenever I speak with people regarding my choice of commuting by bike, the consistent issue in discussion is risk. It is not a discussion but a statement to the effect “It is too dangerous on the roads.”. This always comes from people who do not bike at least not on roads. The reality I face and I make it a point to tell them is that it is silly to think it is dangerous. This has come up so often that now a days, my response is that of the road is not safe, it is because you as a driver are not keeping it safe.
It is an issue I dont think about much since I do not feel threatened when biking on the road. I feel pretty much integral part of the traffic. Rarely I get squeezed for space. I usually follow that with a fist pumping or if I can, I knock on the offending drivers window and ask him to give me space. Usually that results in driver apologizing (note this works in Singapore, I might not try that in some country where people are allowed to carry guns).
So I dont actively think about safety issues and since I do not bother with advocacy, I dont feel the need to raise the issue for others benefit either. But of late, when I went to the movies, I saw a traffic safety ad that bothered me much.
The reason why it pisses me off is not because they show reckless riding by the motor cyclist but because they do not point the finger at the truck. This is a classic fear mongering campaign which is effective in deterring people from motorbiking. The same attitude is extended towards cycling and cars are made out to be a safe habitat.
Well, I think the Traffic Police should balance the views and if they are threatening one section of the population, they should also produce videos and threaten the rest of the bunch too. As in this traffic safety ad.
My personal feel is that education about traffic safety should be more positive instead of showing death. Promoting gracious driving, stopping at the stop line, allowing pedestrians first etc.. should be the focus. I suppose that will slowly promote a gracious culture. Anyway, it anyone is interested in stats, I found the following from SPF site. Funnily, they mention that so many people died in a particular type of vehicle. I think It would be nice to know who was the other party involved in the accident. I that the reverse perspective will show a lot more cars / trucks involved in causing fatal accidents. That is the stat the police should be paying attention to. People how cause accidents and live to drive another day.
Anyway, do me a favor and pay attention when you are driving on the road.
