Life is like a bicycle, you need to keep moving lest you lose balance.
— Albert Einstein, German-born physicist
On certain nights as I drive home after a hard day’s work in the office, I see them — dark attired cyclists riding in a row and competing fiercely against motorists and motorcyclists to reach their destinations.
It is not easy to see them except for the bright lights on some of their bikes. Some wear helmets, some don’t. Some are women but most are men of different ages.
Because of the heavy flow of traffic on the one-way relatively dark road from Metrocity to Batu Kawa, I wish sometimes these cyclists had not chosen to ride on such a narrow road at such late hours.
“Who are they? Can’t they find safer places to ride,” I often mutter to myself when I see them.
My worries about their safety intensify on rainy or drizzling nights.
I keep my eyes open for fear of ploughing into them. I know there are safety rules for members of the cycling clubs to adhere to but looking at some of these cyclists in action, I think not all of them follow the safety rules seriously. Or are they simply ignorant or unaware of such rules?
Some of the basics of bicycle safety on the road include wearing bright reflective clothing, even in the day, wearing a blinky light or headlamp, avoid wearing headphones, slowing down at intersections, signalling turns and always looking behind or in a mirror before veering/swerving left into the lane of traffic.
Other bicycle safety basics include wearing a headlamp and a rear light when riding at night, wearing a helmet and follow the rules of the road as if driving a car.
Looking at them in action, some of the cyclists do not seem to care for their own safety. They seem to be in as much a hurry as the office or factory workers who are rushing home after a day’s work.
But isn’t cycling supposed to be a fun activity and a fun way to stay fit? If the office or factory workers are rushing home, where are these cyclists heading to?
And is there a need for cyclists to ride in such a huge group? Despite the importance of wearing a headlamp and a rear light when cycling at night, some, alas sad to note, don’t bother to do so at all.
I am not phobic by nature but I do think that disasters are waiting to happen when cyclists compete fiercely with motorists and motorcyclists on busy roads.
In Malaysia, teenagers on bicycles have been mowed down by cars.
According to a New Straits Times report on Dec 1, 2020, the number of cycling-related accidents for 2020 from January to October showed that out of 137 cases, 56 were fatal accidents.
Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department’s director then, Deputy Comm Datuk Azisman Alias urged all cyclists to obey the rules and laws that had been put in place to ensure their safety and the safety of other road users.
He added that other road users should also be more careful around cyclists as they were “quite exposed to dangers”.
Azisman also advised cyclists to pick their locations and time, such as areas with less traffic and not during rush hour.
Bike owners should also ensure their equipment have safety features, he said.
In Kuching City, there have been talks about constructing more bicycle lanes. I am not talking about bicycle lanes for professional cyclists. I am talking about bicycle lanes for the ordinary people including children.
Kuching South City Council is said to have two cycling and pedestrian tracks but where are they and who are using them?
In an interview, president of the Sarawak Cycling Association (SCA) Datuk Benjamin Hasbie once commented that there were many good roads in Kuching. However, he added that it was just unfortunate that in the early part of the planning, the government did not include bicycle lanes as part of its plan.
He pointed out that in developed countries like the Netherlands, the road system there included bicycle lanes as part of their plans.
Proper cycling lanes on the roads can help keep our cyclists safe. It is time for the government to create bike-friendly cities with safe streets for cyclists in Sarawak.
If you are one of the night cyclists reading this column, do adhere to the basics of bicycle safety on the road. Love yourself. Remember, you only live once.
