On Saturday (16 April), a 64-year-old man was knocked over by a lorry as he was cycling past the zebra crossing at Jalan Eunos.
Although the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) attended to him immediately at the scene and he was transferred to Changi General Hospital, he consequently succumbed to his injuries.
Details of the Accident
There were quite a few witnesses at the scene, judging from the images that surfaced on Facebook, whether it was on the Facebook page of Singapore road accidents or on personal accounts.
The exact location of the accident was a zebra crossing at the Jalan Eunos exit from the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), which sees high traffic on a daily basis.
After the 64-year-old cyclist collided with the incoming lorry, he fell off his bike.
There were photographs that showed a man being resuscitated by the paramedics at the site of the accident.
One of the wheels of his bicycle was badly bent out of shape, and it was seen lying in the middle of the road.
An eyewitness who was passing by with her two children briefly described the aftermath, stating that the cyclist didn’t have a helmet and there was blood on the ground.
After AsiaOne made some inquiries, the SCDF confirmed that they were made aware of the accident around 5pm.
The police later informed various new sources that the cyclist had died from injuries in the hospital.
On the other hand, the 27-year-old lorry driver has been arrested for careless driving, and investigations into the accident are still ongoing.
Heated Debate Online
In this month alone, this certainly isn’t the first accident involving a bicycle, nor is it the first to be reported.
Just a week ago, an Ang Mo Kio resident had lodged a police report against an unidentified cyclist for travelling at high speeds and knocking her over as she was exiting her condominium side gate.
Among the many comments, there was a mix of people who didn’t exactly blame the victim per se, but they pointed out that the cyclist should have dismounted first and checked the road conditions before crossing the zebra crossing.
One netizen was smarter with their argument and directly pulled out a Land Transport Authority (LTA) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, asking if “Dismount and Push” is a rule for non-electrically powered bicycles.
The answer was: “Cyclists are not required to ‘dismount and push’ at traffic crossings. Feedback received from the public consultation indicated that it was impractical and a hassle to dismount at every crossing and bus-stop. There were also safety concerns in doing so, especially when they have a child or load on the bicycle.”
However, cyclists or personal mobility device users are encouraged to do so at places with high pedestrian-traffic areas.
After all, it is your personal safety that’s at risk, and being the foot on the pedal, it’s up to you to decide when or how you want to cross the road.
Featured Image: Facebook (Jeffery Kang)