We get it; cyclists can be annoying on the pedestrian walkway, especially during the busy commuting hours in the mornings and evenings.
But as annoyed as you may be, would you resort to using violence to deal with them?
Being Chased
A Stomp user recalled his unpleasant evening while cycling along Potong Pasir. Stomper Edward, who was cycling on a footpath in Potong Pasir on 4 May, 8:15 pm, was suddenly chased down by a pedestrian and pushed from behind.
The reason? For simply cycling on the footpath.
According to OP’s side of the story, he was cycling along the pavement outside Sant Ritz Condo near the Potong Pasir MRT on an Anywheel bicycle.
FYI, Anywheel is a local bicycle-sharing company founded in 2017. Yes, we still have them despite what happened the first time.
While cycling, a man in a black shirt walking ahead was obstructing OP’s path, so he ranged the bell twice for safety purposes. Instead of just moving aside, the man turned back and glared at OP.
Returning with a stare, OP continued to cycle away, and things could have just ended here had the pedestrian not run towards him and pushed OP from the back excessively, to the point where he almost fell off the bike.
Avoiding an unnecessary fight, OP continued to cycle away. Still, the initial violence seemed to be not satisfactory for the pedestrian because this man made an effort to chase OP again to push and charge him aggressively.
This time, OP decided to get off the bike and confront the stranger. He told the man that the “bike is not allowed on the road” and “pavement is a shared space”.
He reminded the man that he did ring the bell and that he had no “legal right” to push OP violently.
Before ending the confrontation, OP took a picture of the man for police report purposes and left the scene. The stranger, in return, yelled vulgarities at OP.
In response to Stomp’s query, police confirmed that a report was lodged.
According to the Land Transport Authority, bicycles are allowed on footpaths. E-bikes and PMDs, however, are not.
In OP’s defence, he takes pride in his mode of transportation as “young guys” like him are contributing to Singapore’s effort for a “greener form of transportation”.
He reasoned that his demographic don’t have “big money to drive to work in fancy cars”, and on the incident, he questioned that even though the pavement is a shared space, he doesn’t see why “people can’t just move aside when there is a bicycle coming”.