CYCLISTS STILL UNHAPPY OVER 2M WIDE CYCLING PATH, SAY NOT ENOUGH FOR RIDING

Dear A.S.S. Editor

Good that LTA has finally decided to cater a long stretch of road specially for cyclists to share with other road users. The new Tanah Merah Coast Road was opened on Sunday, and the road also include a 2m wide area next to the main road itself to cater to two cyclists abreast. However, LTA said that this is a “one-off initiative for sports cyclists” who use the area for training.

So, this specially catered road to cyclists would not e replicated anywhere else on Singapore’s roads. However, the road itself is about 10km long, which should be enough for cyclists to practice their road cycling skills.

While this is a good initiative for the cyclists, there are still some grumblings from them. One of the cyclists interviewed said that the lanes were not wide enough and this could cause some problems.
“The two-metre space is generally enough. But when we have a large peloton like this, it can get a little bit crowded and we might be forced to move out to overtake on the car lane and cut back in.” Another cyclist, Eric, shared the same view: “It (the cycling lane) is a good idea but I think it’s a little bit too narrow because it allows only two bikes. This is quite a flat road and if we are going at a high speed, there’s not much space for us to maneuver if there is a rider or a group of riders in front. (There will be) congestion.”

Sometimes, these cyclist just don’t know how to thank their lucky stars. Give them a space to cycle on the road, still say it is not enough. Two bikes abreast still not enough? What do they want, a Tour de France route? Maybe they want the whole road? Pay road tax lah!

David Tao

A.S.S. Contributor