Cyclist dispute on Punggol shared path

The video didn’t capture any “Dismount and Push” signs on the path.

Additionally, the man threatened to call the police and told the cyclists they could be fined $2,000. “Not happy, you call police, see who is right or wrong,” he said.

The man could also be seen pointing at the cyclists and gesturing animatedly. Towards the end of the video, he walked away with his son, who donned a bright orange outfit.

The clip ends with a cut to a sign that says the path was a shared track meant for pedestrians and cyclists alike.

‘Dismount and Push’ or ‘No Riding’ signs allegedly not present

Larry was aware that the path he and his friend were riding on was narrower due to construction works and that there were “Pedestrian Access” signs on the construction hoarding.

However, he understood that the route remain a shared path based on the visible brown signage at the location.

“If there was a ‘No Riding’ sign at that particular section, I did not see one,” he said.

Larry recognises that cyclists have a responsibility to ride cautiously around pedestrians and does not think pedestrians should have to move immediately out of a cyclist’s way.

However, his understanding is that riders should give way to pedestrians, slow down around others, maintain a safe distance, walk their bicycles in crowded areas and gently alert others before overtaking.

“Our use of the bicycle bell was intended as that alert,” he said, adding that he did not expect pedestrians to immediately get out of the way.

According to LTA’s regulations, bicycles are allowed on footpaths — unmarked paths beside roads and within HDB estates — and shared paths marked with ‘Cyclist’ and ‘Pedestrian’ logos. Cyclists must also abide by the respective speed limits on these paths.

No need to involve police: Cyclist

Larry said there was no physical confrontation and he did not make a police report, despite the man threatening to call the police.

“I didn’t think the incident was serious enough to require police involvement,” he said.

Larry said he hoped the incident would encourage both cyclists and pedestrians to be more gracious to each other on shared paths rather than escalate minor misunderstandings into confrontations.

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