With all the bad press that LTA has been getting over their multitude of failed, failing, or destined to fail projects, this piece of news must have brought some cheers from motorists. They are stepping up their game to catch errant cyclists. 22 were caught earlier this month, and now “over 25”.
In this most recent instance, more than 25 cyclists were caught for riding in group sizes larger than permitted. As evident in the photos, some even ride on the centre lane, causing much nuisance to other road users.
While it seems great that LTA is taking some action, I’m disappointed that there’s just so little that they are doing. I’m familiar with one of the roads they carried out their enforcement action on. I think, easily, if you just stand there for an hour or two, you will easily catch over 100 errant cyclists. I don’t understand why LTA could only catch so few.
There are many other places where such errant behaviours are more rampant, including roads not far from where they carried out this last operation. It doesn’t even have to be on a weekend when traffic is light, and perhaps when some cyclists think that gives them a license to ride as if they own the road. On any ordinary weekday, I see cyclists on centre lanes of three-lane roads. I see convoys cutting across three-lane roads as if they were like a trailer truck. Even lone cyclists ride expecting all motorists to work around them as they change lanes.
Also, let’s be honest, cyclists who actually obey the red-light at traffic junctions are a rarity. When they do so, it is usually for practical reasons that they are unable to cross the junction, such as when there is flowing traffic that prevents them from crossing. Otherwise, most would just ride on with blatant disregard for traffic regulations.
I feel LTA’s efforts to take enforcement action smells more like a publicity operation to make a show that something is being done. When they start catching 100 offenders each weekend, and let’s say 25 every weekday, and keep up this momentum week after week for months on end, then maybe we can say they start to make a meaningful difference.
Otherwise, for an errant cyclist to get caught is harder than winning 4-D. It is no wonder that most cyclists don’t care and just go ahead to continue flouting the traffic regulations.
After debacle with Simply Go and ERP 2.0, this is a low hanging fruit for LTA to get something done right.