Every road user has a role to play

[Jman888]

S'pore driving behaviour not permitted in other countries: Reader

 

The Straits Times | Saturday, Feb 2, 2013

I am a Dutch national who is a permanent resident here, and have lived and worked in Singapore for the past 26 years.

 

I have three young boys aged between six and nine, all Singaporeans, and I can empathise with the parents of the two boys killed in Monday's accident ("Two young brothers die in road accident"; Tuesday).

 

Singapore's driving standards and styles evolved in an inward-looking manner, and include driving behaviour that is not permitted in Western Europe and elsewhere - for good reason.

 

I attribute most accidents involving Singaporean drivers in the United States, Australia and New Zealand to the different driving standards and behaviour in Singapore and these countries.

 

In Singapore, pedestrians and cyclists are considered to be not part of the traffic and, hence, have no right to be on the road, let alone right of way.

 

In Holland, all turning traffic has to give way to traffic that is going straight and, yes, cars have to give way to pedestrians and cyclists.

 

In Singapore, where a pavement is interrupted by a road and there is no pedestrian crossing, people have to give way to oncoming cars.

 

The rights of pedestrians here are often infringed upon by drivers in a rush, even when the "green man" signal is on.

 

Then there is the "speedway road traffic model" here, where drivers overtake from the left.

 

Yet another bad habit of drivers here is overtaking other cars and maintaining their speed before suddenly exiting the road they are on.

 

The safer way is to slow down, get to the start of the exit lane and exit behind other road users.

 

Finally, there are drivers who cut into your lane suddenly, even when there is not enough space to do so. They do signal their intention, and seem to think this permits them to filter ahead of you.

 

I was taught in Holland that before filtering and mchanging lanes ahead of another road user, one must be able to see that car in one's rear-view mirror.

 

If one can do so, it means there is enough space between the two cars for filtering.

 

Jaap Huigen

 

Cyclists caught flouting rules

Mon, Feb 04, 2013

My Paper

 

DANGEROUS: A driver had to brake to let this cyclist and his pillion rider make their way across a pedestrian crossing in Woodlands.

CYCLISTS have been caught on video as they negotiated pedestrian crossings at road junctions while the lights were not in their favour.

 

Captured by in-car cameras, these videos were posted on citizen-journalism website Stomp over the weekend.

 

They come after an accident last Monday, in which two boys were killed at a Tampines junction after a cement-mixer truck collided with the bicycle they were on.

 

In one video, said to have been filmed in Toa Payoh Lorong 4 last Saturday, a young woman is seen riding her bicycle along a pedestrian crossing, even though the traffic lights are in the favour of road vehicles. A car is seen slowing down as the cyclist passes in front of it. She then stops at the road divider before cycling on.

 

A second video depicts a similar situation, with a man cycling along a pedestrian crossing as a girl rides pillion, despite the red man coming on. The driver of the car that recorded the footage had to brake to let the cyclist pass.

 

The contributor of the Stomp video, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chan, 46, told My Paper that he had been behind the car's wheel and that the video was shot in Woodlands in May.

 

The senior manager at a multinational corporation said he posted the video after the Tampines accident to "raise awareness among cyclists (of the need) to dismount from their bicycles" at pedestrian crossings.

 

Second Minister for Home Affairs & Trade and Industry S. Iswaran said last Thursday that the Traffic Police are reviewing efforts to ramp up road safety through enforcement and education.

 

Meanwhile, preliminary data from the Department of Statistics showed that the number of cyclists injured in road accidents has fallen.

 

There were 359 cases in the first 11 months of last year, compared to 456 for the same period in 2011. The number of cyclists killed remained the same at 15.

 

On whether cyclists have a role to play in road safety and if more needs to be done to educate them, Mr Cedric Foo, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said "every road user has a role".

 

"One may get (away with) flouting traffic rules over and over again, but all it takes is one fateful accident for a lifetime of regrets," he said.

 

The safe-cycling guidelines by the Traffic Police encourage cyclists to dismount and push their bicycles across pedestrian crossings.

 

Mr Roger Krempl, a manager at the Singapore Cyclist Federation, said the Government should "educate motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike in order to avoid...accidents in the future".

 

[email protected]

[Jman888]

2013 is a stressful year on the road since 2 Jan 2013.

 

I am also guilty of rushing and getting less patience on the road, wife had scolded me many times and i am slowing down so much in the past 2 weeks.

 

pedestrian also has a role to play especially for kids, parents must show good example and respect the road/vehicle because there is an accident, the one walking usually die first. I saw a boy running across the road even when the pedestrian light turn red! who taught him that? Cyclists like the one reported take their own sweet time and assume other vehicle will give way even if they are wrong in the way.

 

Drivers behind the wheel should also take few moment to think, i saw over caution driver who take longer time when come to a traffic light junction and please do not horn them for the 'slowness'.... i did that once and turn out the driver was a older aunty and she has to make sure no one crossing even the light is in her favor, can i blame her?

 

Again, i am still puzzle why the traffic suddenly become so crowded starting 2 Jan and it was never like this before, so before everything get fix or better, please drive with care.

 

:D

 

[Kr_toy]

Yet another bad habit of drivers here is overtaking other cars and maintaining their speed before suddenly exiting the road they are on.

 

The safer way is to slow down, get to the start of the exit lane and exit behind other road users.

 

Finally, there are drivers who cut into your lane suddenly, even when there is not enough space to do so. They do signal their intention, and seem to think this permits them to filter ahead of you.

 

I was taught in Holland that before filtering and mchanging lanes ahead of another road user, one must be able to see that car in one's rear-view mirror.

 

If one can do so, it means there is enough space between the two cars for filtering.

 

Jaap Huigen

 

Actually the rule here for signalling is to take 3 seconds before move out but many kiasu-kiasi singaporean will speed up, one car to speed up may still be given benefit of doubt not seeing the signal light, but the second car to speed up is need to be

 

The very obvious one is the merging lane, most Singaporean driver can not do merge lane properly especially if the merging lane involve 3 lanes to 2 lanes and to 1 lane, the traffic is always slowed down due to some dumbass try to filter left and right without looking at the road marking.

Edited February 4, 2013 by Kr_toy

[Hypermiler]

 

"One may get (away with) flouting traffic rules over and over again, but all it takes is one fateful accident for a lifetime of regrets," he said (Cedric Foo).

 

Then let it happen. TP and police NOT ENFORCING rules and regulations. Road users deliberately flouting the law. People continue to abuse and take for granted things as they are.

 

I say let there be great regrets then since people have No commonsense and No responsibilities and No conscience left.

 

No amount of candle light vigil will wake the people up. Only Darwin's Law will teach everyone a lesson.

 

The truth is hard to swallow but that's the way it is and that's the only way when people continue to be stubborn.

[Jman888]

agree, if it doesn't happen to them, they will never learn.

 

When the boy happily cross the road, i was thinking has the parents read the news and teach the boy? apparently not

 

"One may get (away with) flouting traffic rules over and over again, but all it takes is one fateful accident for a lifetime of regrets," he said (Cedric Foo).

 

Then let it happen. TP and police NOT ENFORCING rules and regulations. Road users deliberately flouting the law. People continue to abuse and take for granted things as they are.

 

I say let there be great regrets then since people have No commonsense and No responsibilities and No conscience left.

 

No amount of candle light vigil will wake the people up. Only Darwin's Law will teach everyone a lesson.

 

The truth is hard to swallow but that's the way it is and that's the only way when people continue to be stubborn.

 

[Ghostrider]

IMHO, the Holland guy is talking rubbish. Not all Singapore motorist are like that. Its saying that ALL SINGAPOREAN are bad drivers ? I think not. The most I agree is some black sheep among SG drivers.

 

There has been "saints" on the paper forums complaining about speedster...tail gater etc. Asking for TP to enforce...which again...TP is a knee jerk reaction from the authorities. Now suddenly TP is everywhere...I wonder last time where they have been...or they recently hired more TP ??

 

For the past year, at my son enrichment school...I have not seen a traffic warden let alone Traffic Police...suddenly last Sat...2 TP were stationed outside the enrichment center...not complaining...but hell they sure are effective in slowing down the traffic...cos every car was crawling pass them !! Hahahahahaha....

 

For tailgating drivers...I can only say...hope your brakes are as good as you think they are...and if there are traffic infront of the car that you are tailing...you follow how close also no use.

 

For hogger...if you do not know what hogging is...let this be a simple gauge for you.

If the car behind you can overtake you from the left and then filter into your lane...he has enough time and space to do so...means you could have kept left to allow them thru. Hence you are a road hog.

 

Drive safe....be alert. We ain't saints...but we are no murders who are out to kill people with our machines. Let start correcting our little bad habits here and there before they develop into serious problems. Exercise a little restraint on the road...relax...and it won't be so stressful. Drive defensively....aka DO NOT ASSUME....and we should be alrite.

[Hypermiler]

 

Long live Karma and Darwin's Law.

[BlueOldMan]

Since last sat

I have noticed pedestrians n drivers being more alert on road

Well done!

At least the alertness is sent out

After so many lives r gone

 

Keep it up!

Stay alert

 

[Simplecar]

IMHO, the Holland guy is talking rubbish. Not all Singapore motorist are like that. Its saying that ALL SINGAPOREAN are bad drivers ? I think not. The most I agree is some black sheep among SG drivers.

 

There has been "saints" on the paper forums complaining about speedster...tail gater etc. Asking for TP to enforce...which again...TP is a knee jerk reaction from the authorities. Now suddenly TP is everywhere...I wonder last time where they have been...or they recently hired more TP ??

 

For the past year, at my son enrichment school...I have not seen a traffic warden let alone Traffic Police...suddenly last Sat...2 TP were stationed outside the enrichment center...not complaining...but hell they sure are effective in slowing down the traffic...cos every car was crawling pass them !! Hahahahahaha....

 

For tailgating drivers...I can only say...hope your brakes are as good as you think they are...and if there are traffic infront of the car that you are tailing...you follow how close also no use.

 

For hogger...if you do not know what hogging is...let this be a simple gauge for you.

If the car behind you can overtake you from the left and then filter into your lane...he has enough time and space to do so...means you could have kept left to allow them thru. Hence you are a road hog.

 

Drive safe....be alert. We ain't saints...but we are no murders who are out to kill people with our machines. Let start correcting our little bad habits here and there before they develop into serious problems. Exercise a little restraint on the road...relax...and it won't be so stressful. Drive defensively....aka DO NOT ASSUME....and we should be alrite.

I refer to your words which I underlined - the fact that a vehicle can squees into the space is because the car being overtaken did not tailgate. Also, if the speed of the car in front of the overtaken car and the overtaken car are the same, the gap size would be the same. All you need is a faster vehicle who would then be able to squeeze into the gap.

 

Road hogging is relative to speed. If there are no vehicles behind you, you can drive at 40 kph and no one can accuse you of road hogging. Can they? As long as the other vehicle can go past you, you are not road hogging. Say, if you are travelling at 200kph and someone overtakes you from the left/right, you are not road hogging.

[Ghostrider]

I refer to your words which I underlined - the fact that a vehicle can squees into the space is because the car being overtaken did not tailgate. - Eh...what do you mean ? Catch no balls. Also, if the speed of the car in front of the overtaken car and the overtaken car are the same, the gap size would be the same. All you need is a faster vehicle who would then be able to squeeze into the gap. - You mean if the gap in front of the other car is constant (assuming that speed for both cars in front of the overtaking car is constant) then its not road hogging ? Yes, in a way...if there is a vehicle in front, the the 2nd car is not road hogging. But it would be nice if he moved outta the way for faster moving vehicle. But if there is no cars infront of the 1st vehicle...then he would be hogging.

 

Road hogging is relative to speed. If there are no vehicles behind you, you can drive at 40 kph and no one can accuse you of road hogging. Can they? As long as the other vehicle can go past you, you are not road hogging. Say, if you are travelling at 200kph and someone overtakes you from the left/right, you are not road hogging.

The last paragraphs...if you are travelling other that the fast moving lane aka rightmost lane...you can do any speed you want cos people can use the "Overtaking Lane" aka right most lane to overtake.

 

 

[Timex1441]

2013 is a stressful year on the road since 2 Jan 2013.

 

I am also guilty of rushing and getting less patience on the road, wife had scolded me many times and i am slowing down so much in the past 2 weeks.

 

pedestrian also has a role to play especially for kids, parents must show good example and respect the road/vehicle because there is an accident, the one walking usually die first. I saw a boy running across the road even when the pedestrian light turn red! who taught him that? Cyclists like the one reported take their own sweet time and assume other vehicle will give way even if they are wrong in the way.

 

Drivers behind the wheel should also take few moment to think, i saw over caution driver who take longer time when come to a traffic light junction and please do not horn them for the 'slowness'.... i did that once and turn out the driver was a older aunty and she has to make sure no one crossing even the light is in her favor, can i blame her?

 

Again, i am still puzzle why the traffic suddenly become so crowded starting 2 Jan and it was never like this before, so before everything get fix or better, please drive with care.

 

:D

 

me puzzled too....this year, i have to spend 10 more min each morning to get to work!.....wat was previously a tolerable 30min drive now becomes a bit more irritating...sigh

[Beehive3783]

"One may get (away with) flouting traffic rules over and over again, but all it takes is one fateful accident for a lifetime of regrets," he said (Cedric Foo).

 

Then let it happen. TP and police NOT ENFORCING rules and regulations. Road users deliberately flouting the law. People continue to abuse and take for granted things as they are.

 

I say let there be great regrets then since people have No commonsense and No responsibilities and No conscience left.

 

No amount of candle light vigil will wake the people up. Only Darwin's Law will teach everyone a lesson.

 

The truth is hard to swallow but that's the way it is and that's the only way when people continue to be stubborn.

 

I hope you are referring to ALL road users which include pedestrians and cyclists. Otherwise it's not fair to motorists

[Calvin79]

2013 is a stressful year on the road since 2 Jan 2013.

 

I am also guilty of rushing and getting less patience on the road, wife had scolded me many times and i am slowing down so much in the past 2 weeks.

 

pedestrian also has a role to play especially for kids, parents must show good example and respect the road/vehicle because there is an accident, the one walking usually die first. I saw a boy running across the road even when the pedestrian light turn red! who taught him that? Cyclists like the one reported take their own sweet time and assume other vehicle will give way even if they are wrong in the way.

 

Drivers behind the wheel should also take few moment to think, i saw over caution driver who take longer time when come to a traffic light junction and please do not horn them for the 'slowness'.... i did that once and turn out the driver was a older aunty and she has to make sure no one crossing even the light is in her favor, can i blame her?

 

Again, i am still puzzle why the traffic suddenly become so crowded starting 2 Jan and it was never like this before, so before everything get fix or better, please drive with care.

 

:D

 

Great... me too...

slowing down the past couple of weeks... and always keeping a safe distance from the front car (Minimum 2 car lengths)

seriously think if we all drive slowly... we can keep the enviroment good

[Simplecar]

The last paragraphs...if you are travelling other that the fast moving lane aka rightmost lane...you can do any speed you want cos people can use the "Overtaking Lane" aka right most lane to overtake.

By definition, road hogging means you prevent the car behind from overtaking you.

 

Quite some people have been using the word 'road hogging' incorrectly. If you can overtake a car who is travelling at 200kph, he is not road hogging but if you cannot even overtake him, he is road hogging to you.

 

You probably think so when he is driving at the road limit and you overtake him above that limit, or he is driving slower than you can tolerate.

 

People have been using the overtaking lane as the fastest lane. I seldom see lane 1 empty as all sorts of vehicles are using it without overtaking anyone.

 

Looks like any lane is overtaking lane as long as it is on the right. I tend to drive until i am as fast/slow as the vehicle in front and I am happy following it.

 

During peak hours, I like to take lane 2 and give lots of space in front so that I dont have to brake when the guy in front brakes.

[Simplecar]

me puzzled too....this year, i have to spend 10 more min each morning to get to work!.....wat was previously a tolerable 30min drive now becomes a bit more irritating...sigh

Could there be more vehicles on the road? I find no difference as I leave home before 7. (I start work much later)

[HP_Lee]

me puzzled too....this year, i have to spend 10 more min each morning to get to work!.....wat was previously a tolerable 30min drive now becomes a bit more irritating...sigh

 

Bro. Every morning, it takes me 45 - 50mins to work by driving. 10 Years ago, it took me only 15 - 20mins. Recently, I tried taking a bus to work. To my surprise, it took me 45 mins.

[HP_Lee]

S'pore driving behaviour not permitted in other countries: Reader

 

The Straits Times | Saturday, Feb 2, 2013

I am a Dutch national who is a permanent resident here, and have lived and worked in Singapore for the past 26 years.

 

I have three young boys aged between six and nine, all Singaporeans, and I can empathise with the parents of the two boys killed in Monday's accident ("Two young brothers die in road accident"; Tuesday).

 

Singapore's driving standards and styles evolved in an inward-looking manner, and include driving behaviour that is not permitted in Western Europe and elsewhere - for good reason.

 

I attribute most accidents involving Singaporean drivers in the United States, Australia and New Zealand to the different driving standards and behaviour in Singapore and these countries.

 

In Singapore, pedestrians and cyclists are considered to be not part of the traffic and, hence, have no right to be on the road, let alone right of way.

 

In Holland, all turning traffic has to give way to traffic that is going straight and, yes, cars have to give way to pedestrians and cyclists.

 

In Singapore, where a pavement is interrupted by a road and there is no pedestrian crossing, people have to give way to oncoming cars.

 

The rights of pedestrians here are often infringed upon by drivers in a rush, even when the "green man" signal is on.

 

Then there is the "speedway road traffic model" here, where drivers overtake from the left.

 

Yet another bad habit of drivers here is overtaking other cars and maintaining their speed before suddenly exiting the road they are on.

 

The safer way is to slow down, get to the start of the exit lane and exit behind other road users.

 

Finally, there are drivers who cut into your lane suddenly, even when there is not enough space to do so. They do signal their intention, and seem to think this permits them to filter ahead of you.

 

I was taught in Holland that before filtering and mchanging lanes ahead of another road user, one must be able to see that car in one's rear-view mirror.

 

If one can do so, it means there is enough space between the two cars for filtering.

 

Jaap Huigen

 

Cyclists caught flouting rules

Mon, Feb 04, 2013

My Paper

 

 

DANGEROUS: A driver had to brake to let this cyclist and his pillion rider make their way across a pedestrian crossing in Woodlands.

CYCLISTS have been caught on video as they negotiated pedestrian crossings at road junctions while the lights were not in their favour.

 

Captured by in-car cameras, these videos were posted on citizen-journalism website Stomp over the weekend.

 

They come after an accident last Monday, in which two boys were killed at a Tampines junction after a cement-mixer truck collided with the bicycle they were on.

 

In one video, said to have been filmed in Toa Payoh Lorong 4 last Saturday, a young woman is seen riding her bicycle along a pedestrian crossing, even though the traffic lights are in the favour of road vehicles. A car is seen slowing down as the cyclist passes in front of it. She then stops at the road divider before cycling on.

 

A second video depicts a similar situation, with a man cycling along a pedestrian crossing as a girl rides pillion, despite the red man coming on. The driver of the car that recorded the footage had to brake to let the cyclist pass.

 

The contributor of the Stomp video, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chan, 46, told My Paper that he had been behind the car's wheel and that the video was shot in Woodlands in May.

 

The senior manager at a multinational corporation said he posted the video after the Tampines accident to "raise awareness among cyclists (of the need) to dismount from their bicycles" at pedestrian crossings.

 

Second Minister for Home Affairs & Trade and Industry S. Iswaran said last Thursday that the Traffic Police are reviewing efforts to ramp up road safety through enforcement and education.

 

Meanwhile, preliminary data from the Department of Statistics showed that the number of cyclists injured in road accidents has fallen.

 

There were 359 cases in the first 11 months of last year, compared to 456 for the same period in 2011. The number of cyclists killed remained the same at 15.

 

On whether cyclists have a role to play in road safety and if more needs to be done to educate them, Mr Cedric Foo, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said "every road user has a role".

 

"One may get (away with) flouting traffic rules over and over again, but all it takes is one fateful accident for a lifetime of regrets," he said.

 

The safe-cycling guidelines by the Traffic Police encourage cyclists to dismount and push their bicycles across pedestrian crossings.

 

Mr Roger Krempl, a manager at the Singapore Cyclist Federation, said the Government should "educate motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike in order to avoid...accidents in the future".

 

[email protected]

 

Have been seeing this pretty often. Especially, during the morning.

[Spiritseye]

Trash talk, obviously, he have not been to alot of countries.

 

Sure, some Singaporean drivers are inconsiderate and think the road belongs to them. He thinks this only happen in Singapore?

 

What a fool. He should go drive in Italy