Driving in difficult situations - My dearest Cyclist

( a group of cyclist enjoying the early morning air in Jalan Kayu)

My service route involved driving public bus, along Woodlands Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road. Both these trunk roads are currently undergoing major road works and subjected to frequent road diversions due to the construction of MRT Downtown Line.

One of the thing that stressed me most to earn a decent livelihood as a BC, is that, come each weekend these two major trunk road; on the Saturday and Sunday morning period (0530hr to 1100hr); the roads will be filled with recreation/sport cyclists; instead of those cycling to work for their to earn daily living income.

Since the omnibus is 2.4m wide and these said road width is no much wider than 2.4m, I sincerely fear for this cyclist life. But, until today, I could not understand, why they themselves do not cherish they live as such while cycling on the public road with many heavy vehicle using it also.

From the way cyclists using the road, I can concluded that traffic rules are not legally binding to them and worst of all, Cyclists do not seem to love themselves and expect the Bus Captain driving the bus to care for their personal safety. 

Sadly, those recreational angmoh cyclists are rude, arrogant and vulgar. 

Why I said so, 

Many a time, out of safety and compassion to those cyclists (i.e. not to caused injuries or near death accident to them), I will lightly tap the bus horn twice to pre-alert them, that, I am behind you, and about to overtake them and will about to make a stop soon at the next coming bus stop.

Those angmoh cyclists, not only prepare to take heed to the horning precaution, but wrongly assumed that (in my view), that the bus captain have intention to irritate or disturb them with intention.

They will start to accelerate from a single file to a double file arrangement. When you horn them again to give way, they raise their right hand middle finger at me.

When they finally managed to catch up with me again at the subsequent bus-stop further up, they will come to me and shouted aloud : You “fucking idiot, fucking driver”.  

Do you think, I deserve such early morning greetings?

Since according to LTA, tarred road are built with Tax Payer money, and it is meant for common use to all. Cyclist does not need to pay road tax to us public road and I presumed also not need to obey any traffic rules lah. only Vehicle with carbon emission are required to pay road tax. 

So, One suggestion from the road taxes been collected; in order to share the common road space with more safety, it is possible for LTA to widen the far left lane to  at least 3.5m wide?

Personally, the way cyclists conduct themselves on the road, help me to understand, an old saying of “the mighty elephant is afraid of the tiny mouse”.

 It is not that the elephant is afraid of the mouse; it is the compassionate and wisdom aspect of the elephant for the mouse (in this case the Cyclist lah).