Roadies reflecting on road safety

Sharing this. Not a rant but just a simple video to show the cyclists point of view and advice for staying alive on the roads.

Please help Singapore Cyclists Plead to PM

If you feel strongly about more needs to be done. Pls send ur concerns, fears and message here. This is my message to our PM.

From: woon taiwoon

Subject: Please help Singapore Cyclists safety plead

Date: August 18, 2012 PM 04:11:37 GMT+08:00

To: lee_hsien_loong@pmo.gov.sg

Cc: Francis Chu , Lim George , Andy Yap

We are a group of avid cyclists who enjoy cycling and exploring our local neighbourhood.  Our group is called Lovecyclingsg and it is a lovely social gathering every sunday morning. Please have a look at the folks who join us for a ride.  We have a motto which is E.R.P = Eat. Ride. Photo http://smallwheelsbigsmile.blogspot.sg/2011/03/kranji-ride-27th-march-2011-photo.html
Cycling is really nice and enables us to explore many places which we didn't even know existed. Like the sembawang hotsprings for example. I am glad to see that our cycling community is growing and having a strong Kampong spirit.  Last count we have over 2000 Facebook members and it is quite a task to keep up with the postings and activities.
As I got more involved with cycling community building, I begin also to take more notice about the lack of attention for the cyclists safety. We as lovecyclingsg have been actively trying to improve our cyclist's odds by sharing more information, conducting safety clinic.  We also wrote to Ministry of Transport and LTA to ask that more be done for cyclists safety and share on the cyclists plight.
http://smallwheelsbigsmile.blogspot.sg/2012/05/letter-to-mot.html  << this is the email message to MOT .We also have had a first meeting with LTA on the 2nd July and there is not reply from them. I don't know what more to do which is why I am writing to you directly.
Today early morning, 3 cyclists was hit by a lorry at Loyang road. One of the rider name is Freddy Khoo. I don't know him personally but I was told he didn't not make it. He leaves behind a wife and son. This is what is left of his bicycle.
Sir, I appeal to you. Please help make the roads safe for cyclists.
regards
Taiwoon
for lovecyclingsg

regards
Taiwoon
for lovecyclingsg

Safe cycling... this is not.

As a cyclist, we are invulnerable enough already. Your actions will help keep u safe... this is what not to do. Not only that, we create a negative impression which will further alienate cycling to motorist.

Learnings from RedKiteprayer.com

Read this writing today while browsing thru the internet. He had brought up a very good point - EGO.  It is about an accident which all cyclists will face sometime in while they ride. I love his writing style which is personal and not just concentrating on the technical aspect of the matter.
When you have been cycling long enough, u would think that your skills become so good and fast that you are "unbeatable". In singapore context - it is called "yaya papaya".. thats when accidents happen.  Good read and reflect on our behaviours on the road. Ride safe and have fun cycling!

Excerpts of the article.. " After a month or two of two-wheeled rage, I had an epiphany. I was afraid. Everywhere I went I anticipated being crushed and killed, and rather than weeping and cowering, I was going on the offensive. If I wasn’t overtly courting conflict, I was having protracted arguments, in my head, with errant motorists. I was, I think, trying to make sense of a new landscape, one in which I could be doing everything correctly, and still be killed. This was no way to go about riding a bicycle. I ride a bike, because I like it, not to drive myself into irrational rages. I had to change, not only my attitude, but also the way I ride. I had to be more forgiving, more patient. This took time......"

Ride safe, use a flag - by Darren Siow

PUTTING A FLAG ON MY BIKE - Written by Darren Siow
After some outings with Tai Woon and the LCSG team, I thought it was fun to have a flag on my bike. Initially, I wanted one just for fun. Later on, I felt it was a good safety measure. It’s strange that I would consider putting a flag on my bike because for many years I rode road bikes and there was no way in hell one of those flappy things were going on my bike. Maybe it’s age, or maybe it’s knowing that bad things do happen to cyclists on the road, so I decided that I wanted aflag. Come to think of it, I have a flag on my Brompton but I never put one on my road bike. I don’t know why I have double standards. 
The Rod

Anyway, I thought for a long time about how to make a flag that would fit my Brompton. On one of my rides to Changi Village, I decided to pop into the shop that sells fishing equipment. My hope was that I would be able to buy a cheap fishing rod to use as the flagpole. I knew there were telescopic fishing rods but they usually also come with the loops for the line. I told the shop owner that I wanted a telescopic rod without the loops and to my surprise, he said he had exactly what I needed. And he was right! From under the counter, he brought out a few carbon fiber prawning rods! It wasn’t cheap but it suited my needs to a T. The fully collapsed length is about 30cm; the extended length is 7 feet! The nice thing about the prawning rod is that you can customize the length you need. Since the sections of the rod collapse into each other, you can simply remove the smallest few or the largest few sections to get the length you need.

The Flag

My initial attempt to get a flag was to go online and buy one. However, they aren’t cheap. So as a keen DIY-er, I decided to make one myself. Digging into my wardrobe, I found the perfect t-shirt to be used. It was an old Nautica tee which I never wore anymore because it was too rough. The color was perfect!

I had 2 concepts to fit the flag onto the rod: glue it down or slide it in. I’ve done both and there are pros and cons for both concepts. The glued down flag is very secure, and you won’t have to worry about the flag flying off the rod. The downside is that it takes up a fixed length of the rod, so you can’t collapse the rod fully.  Obviously, for the slide in concept, the pros and cons are opposite. For my current flag, I’ve taken a lazy man’s approach to solve the flying off issue: zip tie! It’s proving to be very effective; I’ve ridden over a hundred klicks and it’s staying on the rod just fine.

My first proto flag had a standard pennant style, whereby the side that is fixed to the rod is shorter than the other 2 sides. However, due to the softness of the material, I realized that I had to ride really fast before the flag was fully extended. That called for Plan B. In the next prototype, I followed a design from Purple Sky Flags (http://www.purpleskyflags.com/) because I like how their flags look. The current flag orientation is oblique to the first prototype. This meant that the longest side of the flag was fixed to the rod and the shortest side was the lowest edge (nearest to the ground). In this design, the weight or softness of the material is negligible because the distance to fully extend the flag is very short.

In the next few pictures, you will see the items that I’ve used as well as the current flag that I’ve placed on my Brompton.

The Sacrificial T-shirt

The First Flag Proto and The Telescopic Prawning Rod

Mark 2.. with blinking lights

Stitching to hold the snaky blinking lights 

Taiwoon recycled kite pole

TW flag on his Moulton

Singapore Hazardous Cycling Areas map - now on!

Good day! Thanks to the efforts of Diane (and google) we now have a collaborative map to help us identify the danger spots in Singapore! Wooohooo! Please look at the instructions here  and start sharing the danger spots with Lovecyclingsg team.  

Pls use this google map for us to list down the danger areas for cycling and as a reference before u ride. 

Singapore roads, is it Safe or Not?

Cycling in Singapore 

I read this article and here from London Cyclist today and it made me think deeply about how can we create a safer road condition for fellow cyclists. While I applaud Steven Lim  Benoit , Francis and of course our very own Lovecyclingsg efforts to promote cycling safety but somehow I find that the cycling awareness amongst the cyclists, drivers are still very lacking and not really working so well. And seems like our Traffic authorities are not really looking into the matter. I may be wrong as I am not privy to the brilliant minds and strategic plans by our LTA and Ministry of Transport.
So... I like to state this. Riding in Singapore is dicey. This is complicated by the fact that cyclists should use the road according to the Traffic laws. Some would ask, "R u sure???" yes really! But there are some roads that even I will not try to ride - some really crazy and hairy places.... Farrer road, Geylang, thomson road, China town, Kranji road to name a few.  So what gives? Should we just seek "that drivers respect the cyclists and just let things be". Or can we do it better to make the issue known? How many more cyclists would need to be injured or worst killed before the the situation improves?
I like to share with you what the British cyclists did. They invite all the riders to come visit the 10 most dangerous roads to see for them selves. And in the process document(where are the danger points, what can be improve) the entire ride and bring more awareness to the dangers to cyclists and to the authorities. So that things can move faster and make it safer for cyclists. Bravo!!!
Do you think it can work in Singapore? I am thinking to organise one ride. ...would u ride with me, help me document this ride?
5 most dangerous road in Singapore in my opinion:
1) Farrer r\Road
2) Geylang Road
3) Thomson Road
4) Bukit Timah road
5) China town area
Where else? I really like to know ur opinions and how we can make our place more bike friendly.  Come on folks, please help me, help us, make the cyclist's voices heard!

Update: Diane have very kindly helped to do a google map for us to list down the danger areas for cycling. Team, please help to add ur areas of concern.Thanks ! 

Learning from Dutch and feedback to our Transport Minister

I read this yesterday night and was very inspired. 
If u haven't please see this very interesting article http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-dutch-got-their-cycling.html
Didn't know that Holland was occupied by cars... all the while I just have this impression that bicycles have always been there. It wasn't.  Well, I shared this article with our Transport minister Mr Lui Tuck Yew and it is also generating some buzz on his facebook. Except, we have still yet to hear from him.... yet:) Well if u like to hear from Mr Lui, I think u can help by just putting in ur comments and concerns here.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=277632788933840&id=193723290658124
My personal comments at Mr Lui FB " Just picked up cycling 3 yrs ago. And I met alot of nice friends and families who cycle along the way. With the cars and oil prices going up the roof, I really considering to cycle commute to work. What is stopping me now is the lack of safe riding conditions on the roads. If u like, I offer to bring u and ride alongside with u to show u how appalling the road conditions are. Look forward to ur answer

Safety Clinic by Steven Lim 26th June 2011

Lovecycling @ Safety clinic

This sunday ride was a different experience. We did a road safety clinic for lovecyclesg crew, kindly supported by Steven Lim of Singapore Safe Cycling task force. Although some might find it abit boring, I think the talk proved to be educational and informative. More of the clinic here and here are some photos of the clinic, featuring the tireless Steven in action. We also did a ride after the clinic to CV for nasi lemak and rode back home. More photos here

Steven sharing how to be safe on the road

Bay and family.. and u can see Bay in a trance.... lol

Adriane thinking "sure or not... ok .. if u say so"

Steven "it about positioning... " showing the crew on the road safety park

Boon Yeo and his Strido

Mr Teo and his Puglesy

Boo and Kimi sharing a nice ride together

David and Wendy

Boo with her old, but nice single speed

KC and Boo racing each other ....