A cyclist and his friend were left frustrated after a pedestrian confronted them for ringing their bicycle bells as they cycled past him and his son along a shared path<\/a> in Punggol.<\/p>\n Stomper Larry <\/strong>and his friend had been cycling towards Waterway Point at around noon on Aug 9. As they were approaching a man \u2014 clad in a navy blue top and sunglasses \u2014 and his son, the cyclists rang their bicycle bells several times to alert the pedestrians.<\/p>\n Despite having forged ahead, the man and his son caught up with the cyclists at the pedestrian crossing<\/a>, where the confrontation began.<\/p>\n \u201cI was initially surprised and confused because we had already passed them with no issue and continued on our way,\u201d Larry said.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not expect them to purposely catch up to us at the traffic light to confront us.\u201d<\/p>\n Larry alleged that the men repeatedly called the cyclists \u201cidiots who couldn\u2019t read\u201d while questioning whether they were allowed to cycle on the same path.<\/p>\n The Stomper felt that the man had been \u201croad raging\u201d at the cyclists for ringing their bells at him.<\/p>\n In the video submitted to Stomp, filmed a while after the man began his tirade, the man can be heard saying, \u201cYou\u2019re not supposed to ride here. You dismount and walk, dismount and walk. You are not able to read.\u201d<\/p>\n The video didn\u2019t capture any \u201cDismount and Push\u201d signs on the path.<\/p>\n Additionally, the man threatened to call the police and told the cyclists they could be fined $2,000. \u201cNot happy, you call police, see who is right or wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The clip ends with a cut to a sign that says the path was a shared track meant for pedestrians and cyclists alike.<\/p>\n Larry was aware that the path he and his friend were riding on was narrower due to construction works and that there were \u201cPedestrian Access\u201d signs on the construction hoarding.<\/p>\n However, he understood that the route remain a shared path based on the visible brown signage at the location.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there was a \u2018No Riding\u2019 sign at that particular section, I did not see one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s way.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cOur use of the bicycle bell was intended as that alert,\u201d he said, adding that he did not expect pedestrians to immediately get out of the way.<\/p>\n According to LTA\u2019s regulations, bicycles are allowed on footpaths \u2014 unmarked paths beside roads and within HDB estates \u2014 and shared paths<\/a> marked with \u2018Cyclist\u2019 and \u2018Pedestrian\u2019 logos. Cyclists must also abide by the respective speed limits on these paths.<\/p>\n Larry said there was no physical confrontation and he did not make a police report, despite the man threatening to call the police.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t think the incident was serious enough to require police involvement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n See something interesting? Contribute<\/a> your story to us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u2018Dismount and Push\u2019 or \u2018No Riding\u2019 signs allegedly not present<\/h2>\n
No need to involve police: Cyclist<\/h2>\n
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