6 cyclists to be charged for not keeping to their lane
Six youths aged between 17 and 20 are expected to be charged on Oct 9 with cycling-related offences, including riding without wearing a helmet, riding a bike without brakes and using a mobile device while riding.
On May 10, they cycled along Scotts Road and Orchard Road allegedly in a manner that endangered their safety and that of other road users, said the police on Oct 8.
They not only allegedly failed to keep to the far left edge of the road, but were seen riding in between lanes and performing stunts.
All of them will be charged with not riding close to the left-hand edge of the road.
First-time offenders can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to three months, or both.
Five of them will also be charged with failing to ride in an orderly manner. In addition, two of the cyclists will be charged with riding a bicycle on the road without wearing a suitable protective bicycle helmet; one of them with using a bicycle not equipped with working handbrakes; and one of them with using a mobile communication device while riding.
In their statement, the police reminded cyclists to abide by the rules and guidelines for the safety of all road users. Cyclists must:
- Obey all traffic signals and travel in the same direction as the flow of traffic;
- Wear a helmet when cycling on roads;
- Always ride as close as practicable to the left-hand edge of roads, and allow traffic to overtake them safely;
- Cycle in a single file on single-lane roads, and during bus lane operational hours;
- Switch on the front white and rear red lights in the dark;
- Always use bicycle lanes when available, and not use any other part of the roadway;
- Keep to a maximum length of five bicycles when riding in groups, which means a maximum of five cyclists if riding in single file, or 10 cyclists if riding two abreast (allowed only on roads with more than one lane);
- Not use mobile communication devices while riding; and
- Not cycle on expressways, road tunnels and selected viaducts.
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