SINGAPORE: Six young cyclists were handed charges on Wednesday ( Oct 9 ) for flouting cycling rules, including failing to ride along the left edge of the road, not wearing suitable helmets and riding a bike without a brake.
The six Singaporeans, aged between 17 and 20, indicated their purpose to plead guilty and are scheduled to do so on Nov 19.
The authorities said in an earlier media release that the riders reportedly rode along Scotts Road and Orchard Road on May 10 in a way harmful to themselves and others.
A picture of the riders zipping along Orchard Road was posted on the Instagram page ROADS. roc earlier this year, drawing over a thousand emotions and hundreds of comments.
The riders were shown riding between paths and performing acrobatics at about 11pm on May 10.
The riders who are above the age of 18 are: Ahmad Noordinie Mohamed Noorshah, 19, Muhammad Irfan Muhamad Noor, 19, Muhaidy Marhady, 20, and Muhammad Aliyul Qadry Mohamad Razak, 20.
The remaining two riders may be named under the Children and Young Persons Act, as they were 17 at the time of the crimes in May.
The young people generally received two fees each for failing to walk close to the left edge of the road, and for riding in a chaotic way that endangered people.
Of the group, Muhammad Aliyul has the most claims. He is accused of four infractions:
- For no riding his bicycle in an orderly fashion and for riding without due regard for the health of individuals.
- For failing to drive his vehicle close to the way left edge of the road
- For riding a bike without a suitable protective vehicle hat firmly on his mind; and
- For using a vehicle not equipped with a working side brake on the road
The rider with the next most number of charges is 17 and cannot be named. He is accused of:
- Using a wireless connection system while biking on a road
- Failing to drive his vehicle close to the way left edge of the road; and
- Riding his bicycle other than in an orderly manner, without due regard to the health of people
Muhaidy even received a charge for not wearing a suitable safe bike helmet.
For failing to ride close to the left edge of the road, an offender can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$ 1,000, or both.
Duplicate offenders face dual the jail term and great.
The fines are the same for failing to routine in an orderly way, using a scooter that does not have a working brakes and failing to use a suitable hat.
For using a portable communication device while riding, an offender can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$ 1,000, or both. Fines are doubled for repeat offenders.
The officers reminded riders to abide by rules and guidelines, which include obeying all traffic signals, wearing a hat, riding in a single folder on single-lane roads and during vehicle street operating hours and keeping a maximum size of five bicycles when riding in groups.
This means a maximum of five riders in a single document, or 10 riders with two riding ahead- only on highways with more than one street.
Riders are not allowed to employ portable communication equipment while riding, or to period on interstates, road tunnels and selected bridges.