Expert: Reasonably safe to cycle here
Cycling in Singapore is reasonably safe as drivers here are more courteous towards cyclists as compared to drivers in the United States, said urban-planning expert Earl Bossard yesterday.
Dr Bossard, from the San Jose State University in California, was invited to speak here by the Singapore Institute of Planners on how bicycle paths can be effective infrastructure in urban settings.
He has been in Singapore since last Friday and cycled at locations including East Coast, Changi, Tampines and Punggol.
He told My Paper in a phone interview that in the US, drivers tend to be less tolerant and aware of cyclists than in Singapore, "maybe because the drivers here are more used to congested conditions".
Cycling and the safety issues surrounding it have been in the spotlight following an accident at a Tampines junction last Monday, in which two boys were killed after a cement-mixer truck collided with the bicycle they were on.
Dr Bossard suggested that Singapore learn from the Netherlands, which has cars parked between moving cars and cycling tracks, so that cyclists have a "safe channel" along which to get around.
He also suggested building cycling tracks under above-ground train lines, which would protect cyclists from the elements.
Dr Bossard praised Singapore's park-connector network, saying that they offer safer paths for cycling.
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