Mandatory helmet laws in New Zealand back in the 80s killed cycling. There were less cycling deaths because there were less cyclists. Only recently has cycling boomed, yes 1% is a boom, because helmets aren't as "dorky" as they were and now seen as part of the "kit" . But now there is a generation of drivers that don't know how to behave around cyclists unlike the Dutch and other euro countries where it's a common sight.
I don't know about others, but I do smell politics when comes to bicycle related laws. Some politicians/ministers prefer to travel on cars so of course they want the roads to be "for cars".
I rather think that policies makers here are following the wrong countries, I.e. the USA, US insidiously promote car driving at expense of all others. We need more people studying in Netherlands rather than harvard
There are a lot of more money to be made for a car friendly infrastructure(COE,ERP, road tax, carpark charges, parking fines) there is no money to be made from cyclists
yikes! Singapore has a cycling modal share of 1-2% ish so it's not much better too i feel that the work for advocacy here will be much easier because most people here use public transit instead of cars kudos to you guys for advocating!
I mean, advocacy is nice and all, but Idt it alone would be very effective at increasing cycling rate when both SG and Canada have heavily car-centric infrastructure. Like, as a singaporean, I love cycling, but outside of dedicated alcoves of cycling, like parks and park connectors, I have to either cycle in heavily congested pedestrian walkways and consequently feel like a public nuisance, or have to share roads with huge metal boxes that can run me over. Ik I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but we need infrastructure that supports bikes (i.e. convert car lanes to dedicated bike lanes) to help encourage bike use past a tiny fraction of usage.
@@tehsiewdai Hmm, we once sent a Dutch guy over to Singapore to teach how to economy, maybe we can send another one over to teach how to cycle infrastructure
This is a nice video covering cycling safety in singapore. Jay Foreman also makes informational videos on cycling in London, whose infrastructure is many times better than what Singapore has right now.
thanks! yep, Jay Foreman's videos are fantastic! i personally haven't been to London, but trying out the cycling paths there will certainly be something in my bucket list if i travel there in the future!
@@tehsiewdai The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Scotland and Ireland are the nicest to travel by bike in Europe. Switzerland is also ok, but then you can not be scared of mountains.
honestly the way you said fietser and wielrenner is kind of accurate, at least more accurate than how americans or brits say it. to put that aside tho, the big problem is that it's a self sustaining problem because the more bicycles get killed the more people drive and the less reason there is for the policy to be changed. this is also not helped by newer "safer" cars that only end up being safer for the driver and passengers and not for anyone outside of the car or in another car
thanks, google translate helped me out with the pronunciation bit! your point about the problem being a self reinforcing one is absolutely spot on! welp, i guess the auto lobby wins big time here
very informative on the helmet law. i am a cyclist myself, and i wear my helmet even for that 15 min trip to pickup stuffs. i made that concious decision based on personal accident sustained as a cyclist and motorcyclist. however, u do make a fair point that mandating a helmet law does not help in promoting cycling.
7:18 That young man,he was a friend of mine who I only managed to meet once or twice prior to his passing.It hurts me every time I recall when I was informed of his passing.He may have not worn a helmet on the day of his passing,but given the circumstances he was in a helmet would not have had saved his life.May he rest in peace(and because it has been nearly a year since this incident,I'll be riding over to Lim Chu Kang to pay respect to him soon) 11:52 "...and it's the environment that makes it dangerous".I nearly agree with you entirely,but I also believe that the helmet also has something to do with the rider riding in a more risky fashion.If my memory is right,I recalled reading somewhere that wearing protective equipment while engaging in sports (in general) somewhat encourages the sportsperson wearing said equipment to engage in riskier moves as they perceive themselves to be better protected and won't be harmed.That is just a generalisation though and doesn't apply to everyone.However on a personal level,I feel that that might be true.Prior to me wearing a helmet,I wouldn't bring myself to ride at speeds that will put me and people within the immediate vicinity in danger (e.g. riding at ECP at 30-40+ while swerving through cyclist and pedestrian traffic). That being said though,I still wear a helmet 90% of the time for 2 reasons: 1)I was landed a fine of $75 for riding on the road without a helmet(back in 2020,when the penalties weren't basically death penalties for one's wallet) 2)A crash I had mid-December last year somewhat drove the point to me that I _needed_ a helmet for what I was doing.A friend of mine swerved right into me at 30-ish km/h.That crashed fractured my clavicle into 3,but left pretty much the rest of my body intact.At a later date I realised that the helmet that I wore that day had cracked. Overall though,I agree with you and I love how you backed up the statements in this video(unlike the average joe who would just spew out opinion that is not necessarily based) I just felt the need to say what I had to say here.Greetings from Tampines and I hope to cross paths with you irl someday.
In Finland there are no speed limits for pedal powered bikes, e-bikes are limited to 25kmh. But the infrastructure mostly supports it, i have no problems in my daily commute but can do 20-25kmh all the way from A to B. I would not like the speed limit to raise to 30kmh, there is quite a difference already between 20 and 25. In the latter wind resistance starts to become a real obstacle and you need to wear different kind of clothes than walking, also braking distances, reaction times etc are too long and accidents are several degrees up in severity. Helmet laws do exist but it is depenalized, there is no penalty for not wearing one. Most don't, a lot of the parents do, which i understand. They carry extra responsibility to stay alive and they have to be an example for their own kids. Most kids do wear helmets, teens of course do not. The reason for depenalization is simple: if there was a penalty, people would stop cycling. It is better for national health if more people cycle than the limited number of injuries we would prevent. Also, driver behave MUCH worse when cyclists wear helmets, they see padding and come much closer. This has been studied and the distances of when a car passes a cyclist drop can from 1.2m to 0.6m. They see you are more invulnerable and do the sensible thing when there are less risk of injury... They go faster, and closer. One simple thing causes a LOT of problems: city and town councils who make decisions when it comes to biking infrastructure may irrationally hate cyclists. They do not use bikes, they see them from their cars and being in the way.. of cars. It is not necessarily conscious hate, it may just be a bias. But.. in so many cases you can see that someone deliberately made cycling harder while technically filling the requirements..
The last time my son was asking his P4 form teacher where he can park his bicycle at the school. The teacher said, if you are planning to come with the bicycle to school, then you need to take bicycle safety lessons first. My son learned riding bicycle when he was 5 years old. He is riding with me all the years, I taught him everything he needs to know. He knows the way to school better than the inside of the pockets in his pants. If I had seen he is unsafe, or if I would not trust him, then I would not allow that. Certainly. His way was 2.2 km from his school. All the way pavement and traffic lights. He was devastated. Why the heck do you block children like this? How does Singapore want a car-light society ... like this?
Well informed and easy to comprehend video. Hope we can improve the cultural stance towards cycling and the role it needs to play in urban planning in Singapore.
When I ride to east coast park for exercise I will wear a helmet because the entire journey will be spent on the bike. On the other hand, when I go buy groceries, cycle to swimming pool, cycle to MRT, I am not going to wear one because the time spent on the bike is just a small fraction of the journey and storing or carrying the helmet is a big problem. I think law enforcement understand this as well and doesn't really enforce the no helmet rule. I had only been stopped once over the past year and they let me go after a gentle reminder that I need to wear helmet on the road.
I am never a helmet kind of person (if an activity is dangerous enough to mandate a helmet I won’t prefer said activity), but the stupidest thing I’ve ever done on a bicycle is ride along Bukit Timah Road without a helmet back in 2014. It was a conscious decision borne out of my belief that “cycling is just faster walking”. I experienced for myself the danger you would feel mixing among vehicles going at 60-70 km/h! Since then, I avoid riding on roads with a speed limit of more than 60km/h. My experience organising leisure rides with friends/family led me to prefer peaceful low-traffic routes. In Singapore’s context, it is any road with a speed limit below 50km/h with ample passing space, and carpark roads (speed 15-20km/h). As the Dutch often practice, if vehicle speeds are low, cyclists are permitted to mix as reaction times are improved.
hmmmm, even with a good 100+ dollar helmet will not protect you at those speeds u know dat right? They are just styrene. Only a proper motorcycle helmet will help you at those speeds, dat is if you neck is not snapped.
thanks for good research and arguement. Thanks for sharing benefits of cycling, namely; cancer reduction, stroke reduction, clean air, reduce traffic congestion, etc. I agree with you that Mandatory Helmet Law (MHL) will do more harm than good by putting off commuting cyclists. When i lived in Georgetown Penang, i was mainly a recreational Mountain biker, so i was not surprise that 80% of bicycle crashes occur off road. i support the petition to Singapore Government to refine the MHL Since Covid19 lockdown, I commute to KLCC 2 to 3 times a week a round trip of 25 km by bicycle, promote 🚴♂️cycling as zero carbon personal mobility, regular physical💪 & mental😍 exercise, support local small business along the way, low cost🤑, decongest dangerous; #cycleForLife
Hello from London! Thanks so much for the great video. I am a fietser myself, I commute the relatively short distance from my home to the office by bike and I cycle like an old man. Because of your video, I worked out my average speed on my commute - the distance is 4.2 km and I take approx 20 minutes (well 18-19 if the lights are just right, 21-22 if I hit the red lights) but that kinda clocks me in at 12.5 km/hr (give an take a bit). Now that's very slow, but I take it easy, I'm usually not in too much of a hurry. So I'm thinking, that doesn't seem much faster than the 10 km/hr speed limit mandated for cycling on the sidewalk in Singapore but nonetheless, I'm usually cycling on the road which isn't perfect but doable and never on the sidewalk/pavement. Oh and of course, the weather in London is a lot more conducive to cycling - it's 9 degrees out there at the moment.
Over here in Switzerland, people on bikes wear helmets like second skin. In fact, it is one of the things you learn as a kid, as soon as you get a balance bike (at 2 years old, or 3) and confirmed by the police when the latter pays a visit in kindergarten to teach how to navigate the streets (by foot or yes, on bikes). So I just couldn't understand why the mandate would discourage people to ride their bikes. Human nature is hardwired to consider a safe environment most of the time. A little inconvenience (do helmets feel uncomfortable being so snugged on the head?) can't dampen the thrill and adventure of cycling, imho.
hey, thanks for asking! welp, i'm not for or against helmet use - for me, it doesn't feel that uncomfortable and i'm fine with using it the points i listed are for people riding for transport, so if you're referring to cycling as a sport for thrill, mandating helmets probably don't have an impact on that. for some, it may be the case - especially for people who have not tried cycling for transport and have an exaggerated sense of how hot the weather is. if i can't get on a shared bike without first needing to head to the bike shop to purchase a helmet, i might as well drive to the destination instead. spontaneity - which shared bikes are supposed to bring is essentially killed off. since the mandate, there has also been visibly less people cycling on the road for transport, which is quite worrying. some people do not mind cycling no more than 10km/h, but others gave up cycling and switched to driving around the neighbourhood. this has implications as it makes the road more unsafe for people who still cycle, and there are health issues that rise with lesser physical activity. as far as i know, Switzerland doesn't have a mandatory helmet law, and i hope it stays that way as fun as it is, not everyone wants to experience the thrill and adventure of cycling - some just want to get from A to B, and the law is making it difficult for such it's really cool that your police department takes the effort to educate young kids - teaching them how to get around at a young age is fantastic!
It's actually cars, lorries and buses that are dangerous(usually cause death in collision with a cyclist/padestrian) These vehicles can travel high speeds with very heavy vehicle body thus, causes a huge impact upon in direct contact with human or Bicycle. Bicycle accidents(in collision with padestrian) on the other hand, rarely cause death, at most serious injury(worst case scenario). Some padestrians couldn't be bothered to give way to cyclists upon hearing a ringing of the bicycle bell. I strongly agree with your message in this video. As a cyclist, if accidents happen, most of the time it will be some leg injury. Will only have arm injury if your whole body fly off your bicycle. Head injury is unlikely because you will be using your arm to reduce impact. We need better bicycle infrastructure so that it is more conducive to cycle and this in turn, makes more people want to give up driving and start cycling.
Seems like the Active Mobility Office has done more harm than good since it's set up. With MHL, how did the shared bicycle companies react? Did they start to provide helmets?
well, it looks like the AMAP mastered the art of killing off modes of active mobility in singapore, lol (no, that's actually tragic!) i don't think the shared bike companies could provide helmets because the bikes are dockless which makes the helmets susceptible to theft. shared bike company anywheel even listed "no riding on roads" in their app - meaning that even if one brings a helmet to the shared bike, it still cannot be used when it's needed the most, rendering multiple bicycles lying in areas not served by transit and footpaths completely useless
lol reminded me of a convo i had wif an old school cyclist unker. he has been cycling on SG roads w/o helmet for like 50 years he tell me suddenly minister and cronies do photo op/wayang news report cycle on PCN for less than 20 mins suddenly decide to mandate helmet use. from his POV this single move would likely turn off new people to cycle and gahmen if really sincere about going car lite shooting themselves in the foot!
i think ya . for smaller streeets connecting hdbs. the single lane bidirectional (1lane in each direction) can be narrower to encourage slower speed (unconsciously). the left over road space can be used as cycling lane for cycling with not just paint on the road but actual divider or curb. (actually if you want can have 2lane bicycle path if the footpath has a pcn) that adding the continous footpath/cycling path would really help
Regarding the passing distance, I--as a rather avid cyclist and driver, both in Japan (a rather orderly country) and Indonesia (a less orderly one :D )--wouldn't mind car passing me a tad closer, say: - 50 cm, if neither is going faster than 30, - 80 cm, if neither is going faster that 40, - 1 m, if the car is going 50, - 1.5 m, if the car is going 60 and over, - 2 m, if the bicycle is going 50 and over. At times, while driving, I'd rather pass a cyclist with lower speed difference rather than veering to the other lane. As a cyclist, I'd always just stick to my line to be more predictable. I get it that too get the hang of this distance and speed, you need to both cycle and drive. Unfortunately not everyone does. Nonetheless, trying to understand each other is always better. Also, mandatory helmet law sux big time, mandatory gloves law would be much more beneficial for cyclist in light accidents that are more common. I do commute with no helmet, and sportier rides with one (if I could borrow from friends) :)
that's a good point! the passing distance needed for a person to feel comfortable is largely dependent on the speed difference there are some who are more unfamiliar and may accidentally pass too closely, which is understandable i'm not sure whether this is applicable to Japan, but there are also people who intentionally perform such close passes to vent their hate against "cyclists" and intimidate people cycling on the road that's when a minimum passing distance would serve as a deterrent for such intentional acts of violence yep, the mandatory helmet law is horrible!
@@tehsiewdai How I feel: - slow or gradual (with small speed difference) pass: hint of acknowledgement, acknowledgement, and awareness. ones you do when you see friends along the road; - far-distance pass: "I don't exactly care about you but I am supposed not to hurt people" - almost near-miss pass: "Oops, sorry. Didn't expect to see you there/going that way." but no hurtful feelings. - that close pass when the motorist slam the accelerator pedal when they are by your side: "I just don't like you" You can always tell from the exhaust note and how sharply the motorist take the line. If this is going to go legal, dash/helmetcam of either party should suffice as evidence. Such hateful close passes are not that common in Japan, given that they are culturally trained to understand bicycle as they are required to ride one to school during middle- and high-school years and accustomed to ride one recreationally during elementary-school years. Not that other countries are less polite and less mannerly.
As a cyclist in Singapore, I dont feel cycling on the road is safe. No matter what happened on the road, cyclist will mostly get blamed. So normally I ride on foot path for safety, but sometimes some pedestrian dislike this.
In Slovakia, the helmet mandate for children and teenagers in not really enforced, so it is considered a voluntary option. The police does not seem to really care. Also, a couple of years ago, a new law was passed that introduced a safe passing distance (1.5m outside and 1m inside a built-up environment) + a helmet is no longer mandatory for people on bikes travelling outside of cities and villages.
I'm surprised that biking infrastructure in Singapore isn't any better than Malaysia lol (yeah but Malaysia problem is much worse, obviously - we got kapcai to deal with, too)
Are you collecting hard data on bicycle participation rates? This could be a great case study that could benefit riders in other jurisdictions like Australia, New Zealand, and the various US states and Canadian provinces, by objectively demonstrating the suppressive effect of mandatory helmet laws.
Thanks for this video! Super informative 👌 So just to clarify, as of today it's Mandatory to wear a helmet if cycling on a road in Sg? And this does not apply if cycling on a footpath/walkway?
If you look at the Tour de France, all the riders are wearing helmets. And in the same way, motorists should have to wear helmets, flameproof overalls and five-point harnesses with roll cages. And only drive on one-way streets.
Will definitely vote for you if you were my MP! Thanks for this video! Very interesting indeed! 😂 So much research done and I salute you for that!! I have also enjoyed watching the other videos too! And…I myself am a wielrenner….😅
I got a feeling that SG govt dun wan bicycle on the roads because it's "low SES" like how they dun wan too many motorbike on the road, SG Govt wanna be 1st world country and they think not having a lot of motorbike and bicycle on the road is a step towards it
Do you think uptake of cycling as a mode of transport will go up in SG, given how hot and humid the weather is here? I can only imagine people turning up at work or school drenched in sweat haha. In any case, agree entirely with your video and enjoy your other videos as well! Keep it up!
Off road mountain bikes are a whole other risk factor and should not even be lumped in with this. The bicycle infrastructure is a way more important discussion. In some countries you can get away without a helmet but the default should be to wear one. The out of shape person getting on a bicycle for the first time in years for fitness is probably the one who needs a helmet the most.
It doesn't make sense for cyclists to support the mandatory helmet law. I suspect it is the motorists that ultimately pushed that law through, in order to discourage cycling. Another effect of that law is to draw attention away from the one source of danger that is implicated in every road traffic fatality: motor vehicles.
Used to live in KL and visited Singapore a couple times. Travelled Europe and seen that Amsterdam cycling infrastructure. But honestly - if you want the world’s best cycling infrastructure then come to Beijing. That’s one of my main reasons for living here. Best cycling city in the world. No contest.
3:05, how would it be extremely unlikely when the chance is nearly 1 in 10. Btw does mandating helmets reduce the number of people cycling? I might have missed this in the video.
hey, thanks for asking! for the first enquiry regarding 1 in 10, it may sound high, but the likelihood of an accident occuring in the first place is already very low. even if it does happen, the positive outcomes which cycling bring vastly outweighs the chance of an accident. it's being explained in Guardian's video so i won't explain in full here. mandating helmets do reduce the number of people cycling (mostly for transport) in Australia, cycling rates dropped by 30% after the introduction of MHL for Singapore, the results will be different because there's the bicycle boom during covid. more people are cycling - but as a hobby and for leisure the way MHL affects the bicycle population is more for people cycling as a mode of transport. the statistics on bicycle population in Singapore are quite limited so I can't give a definitive answer to your question, but for places without footpaths and public transit where the bicycle is the only mode of transport left (excl walking), it's quite clear that bicycle usage has dropped significantly.
@@Sivah_Akash welp, as long as people can't find their helmet in 10 seconds, off they go into their car lmao! helmets deter people from using shared bikes, especially on paths where helmets are mandatory - no one carries a helmet around everyday, and it kills the spontaneity that shared bikes are supposed to bring
Yes, a main point is that MHL reduce cycling participation. And because cycling is such a net positive for personal health and hence national well being, mandating helmets massively decreases health across society (and for each individual, on average)
Good points, but u failed to consider the fact that normal people, if cycling on roads would cause traffic flow to be extremely congested, making cycling extremely dangerous. Being a road cyclist myself, it is pretty dangerous to cycle on the road, one must be 100% aware of the surroundings, people jaywork, motorcyclists run red lights. Ine way around this is either 1) create cycling dedicated paths. and/ or 2) only permit cycling in small roads. (Not wearing helmet) What do you think?
I view the helmet laws as similar to wearing a seat belt in a car. Sure you can risk not wearing a helmet and cop a fine. And sure you can risk falling off your bike and smashing your head on something. Yeah helmets might make you look stupid, but they kinda protect you if something goes wrong.
No helmet for all, since it’s not a bad thing to have less Singaporeans anyway. How dare the government want to have laws to protect the people, they shouldn’t make wearing seatbelt mandatory too, especially for those who only want to drive 3 mins to coffee shops in the neighborhood, the speed is slow, the distance is short, it must be safe enough to not wear any.
Yeah, we put in a bunch of safety features into cars and spend a lot of money into making car infrastructure forgiving to drivers, yet we still have way too many deaths from collisions and such But yes, let's do the thing that'll discourage people from using the mobility device that doesn't have 2 tons of steel, a billion blind spots, and the ability to create a lot of momentum from mass alone, in the name of safety! At least in an SUV, the other person you crash into dies first
I agree. Since the majority of TBI cases are car drivers/ passengers, I propose we pass a helmet law for cars too. Think of all the lives that can be protected! Also, unlike cycling, cars have all the necessary space to hold a few helmets each.
Mandatory helmet laws in New Zealand back in the 80s killed cycling. There were less cycling deaths because there were less cyclists. Only recently has cycling boomed, yes 1% is a boom, because helmets aren't as "dorky" as they were and now seen as part of the "kit" . But now there is a generation of drivers that don't know how to behave around cyclists unlike the Dutch and other euro countries where it's a common sight.
makes sence
I don't know about others, but I do smell politics when comes to bicycle related laws. Some politicians/ministers prefer to travel on cars so of course they want the roads to be "for cars".
🤫
I rather think that policies makers here are following the wrong countries, I.e. the USA, US insidiously promote car driving at expense of all others.
We need more people studying in Netherlands rather than harvard
There are a lot of more money to be made for a car friendly infrastructure(COE,ERP, road tax, carpark charges, parking fines) there is no money to be made from cyclists
It's all about the money and status.
Hey! Don't make fun of us Canadians for our 1% cycling rate, it took decades of advocating to get that high! :)
yikes!
Singapore has a cycling modal share of 1-2% ish so it's not much better too
i feel that the work for advocacy here will be much easier because most people here use public transit instead of cars
kudos to you guys for advocating!
I mean, advocacy is nice and all, but Idt it alone would be very effective at increasing cycling rate when both SG and Canada have heavily car-centric infrastructure. Like, as a singaporean, I love cycling, but outside of dedicated alcoves of cycling, like parks and park connectors, I have to either cycle in heavily congested pedestrian walkways and consequently feel like a public nuisance, or have to share roads with huge metal boxes that can run me over. Ik I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but we need infrastructure that supports bikes (i.e. convert car lanes to dedicated bike lanes) to help encourage bike use past a tiny fraction of usage.
@@tehsiewdai Hmm, we once sent a Dutch guy over to Singapore to teach how to economy, maybe we can send another one over to teach how to cycle infrastructure
This is a nice video covering cycling safety in singapore.
Jay Foreman also makes informational videos on cycling in London, whose infrastructure is many times better than what Singapore has right now.
thanks!
yep, Jay Foreman's videos are fantastic!
i personally haven't been to London, but trying out the cycling paths there will certainly be something in my bucket list if i travel there in the future!
@@tehsiewdai The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Scotland and Ireland are the nicest to travel by bike in Europe. Switzerland is also ok, but then you can not be scared of mountains.
honestly the way you said fietser and wielrenner is kind of accurate, at least more accurate than how americans or brits say it. to put that aside tho, the big problem is that it's a self sustaining problem because the more bicycles get killed the more people drive and the less reason there is for the policy to be changed. this is also not helped by newer "safer" cars that only end up being safer for the driver and passengers and not for anyone outside of the car or in another car
thanks, google translate helped me out with the pronunciation bit!
your point about the problem being a self reinforcing one is absolutely spot on!
welp, i guess the auto lobby wins big time here
very informative on the helmet law. i am a cyclist myself, and i wear my helmet even for that 15 min trip to pickup stuffs. i made that concious decision based on personal accident sustained as a cyclist and motorcyclist.
however, u do make a fair point that mandating a helmet law does not help in promoting cycling.
7:18 That young man,he was a friend of mine who I only managed to meet once or twice prior to his passing.It hurts me every time I recall when I was informed of his passing.He may have not worn a helmet on the day of his passing,but given the circumstances he was in a helmet would not have had saved his life.May he rest in peace(and because it has been nearly a year since this incident,I'll be riding over to Lim Chu Kang to pay respect to him soon)
11:52 "...and it's the environment that makes it dangerous".I nearly agree with you entirely,but I also believe that the helmet also has something to do with the rider riding in a more risky fashion.If my memory is right,I recalled reading somewhere that wearing protective equipment while engaging in sports (in general) somewhat encourages the sportsperson wearing said equipment to engage in riskier moves as they perceive themselves to be better protected and won't be harmed.That is just a generalisation though and doesn't apply to everyone.However on a personal level,I feel that that might be true.Prior to me wearing a helmet,I wouldn't bring myself to ride at speeds that will put me and people within the immediate vicinity in danger (e.g. riding at ECP at 30-40+ while swerving through cyclist and pedestrian traffic).
That being said though,I still wear a helmet 90% of the time for 2 reasons:
1)I was landed a fine of $75 for riding on the road without a helmet(back in 2020,when the penalties weren't basically death penalties for one's wallet)
2)A crash I had mid-December last year somewhat drove the point to me that I _needed_ a helmet for what I was doing.A friend of mine swerved right into me at 30-ish km/h.That crashed fractured my clavicle into 3,but left pretty much the rest of my body intact.At a later date I realised that the helmet that I wore that day had cracked.
Overall though,I agree with you and I love how you backed up the statements in this video(unlike the average joe who would just spew out opinion that is not necessarily based)
I just felt the need to say what I had to say here.Greetings from Tampines and I hope to cross paths with you irl someday.
In Finland there are no speed limits for pedal powered bikes, e-bikes are limited to 25kmh. But the infrastructure mostly supports it, i have no problems in my daily commute but can do 20-25kmh all the way from A to B. I would not like the speed limit to raise to 30kmh, there is quite a difference already between 20 and 25. In the latter wind resistance starts to become a real obstacle and you need to wear different kind of clothes than walking, also braking distances, reaction times etc are too long and accidents are several degrees up in severity. Helmet laws do exist but it is depenalized, there is no penalty for not wearing one. Most don't, a lot of the parents do, which i understand. They carry extra responsibility to stay alive and they have to be an example for their own kids. Most kids do wear helmets, teens of course do not. The reason for depenalization is simple: if there was a penalty, people would stop cycling. It is better for national health if more people cycle than the limited number of injuries we would prevent.
Also, driver behave MUCH worse when cyclists wear helmets, they see padding and come much closer. This has been studied and the distances of when a car passes a cyclist drop can from 1.2m to 0.6m. They see you are more invulnerable and do the sensible thing when there are less risk of injury... They go faster, and closer.
One simple thing causes a LOT of problems: city and town councils who make decisions when it comes to biking infrastructure may irrationally hate cyclists. They do not use bikes, they see them from their cars and being in the way.. of cars. It is not necessarily conscious hate, it may just be a bias. But.. in so many cases you can see that someone deliberately made cycling harder while technically filling the requirements..
Keep up the great work with these videos! Raising more awareness around cycling in Singapore and the obstacles cyclists face is so important.
thanks!
it sure is important to raise awareness about modes of transport less understood by many people (:
The last time my son was asking his P4 form teacher where he can park his bicycle at the school.
The teacher said, if you are planning to come with the bicycle to school, then you need to take bicycle safety lessons first.
My son learned riding bicycle when he was 5 years old. He is riding with me all the years, I taught him everything he needs to know. He knows the way to school better than the inside of the pockets in his pants. If I had seen he is unsafe, or if I would not trust him, then I would not allow that. Certainly.
His way was 2.2 km from his school. All the way pavement and traffic lights.
He was devastated. Why the heck do you block children like this? How does Singapore want a car-light society ... like this?
Pleasse tag Minister S. Iswaran for his perusal
Well informed and easy to comprehend video. Hope we can improve the cultural stance towards cycling and the role it needs to play in urban planning in Singapore.
youre killing it with these videos!! keep up the great work
thanks!
When I ride to east coast park for exercise I will wear a helmet because the entire journey will be spent on the bike. On the other hand, when I go buy groceries, cycle to swimming pool, cycle to MRT, I am not going to wear one because the time spent on the bike is just a small fraction of the journey and storing or carrying the helmet is a big problem. I think law enforcement understand this as well and doesn't really enforce the no helmet rule. I had only been stopped once over the past year and they let me go after a gentle reminder that I need to wear helmet on the road.
I am never a helmet kind of person (if an activity is dangerous enough to mandate a helmet I won’t prefer said activity), but the stupidest thing I’ve ever done on a bicycle is ride along Bukit Timah Road without a helmet back in 2014. It was a conscious decision borne out of my belief that “cycling is just faster walking”. I experienced for myself the danger you would feel mixing among vehicles going at 60-70 km/h! Since then, I avoid riding on roads with a speed limit of more than 60km/h. My experience organising leisure rides with friends/family led me to prefer peaceful low-traffic routes. In Singapore’s context, it is any road with a speed limit below 50km/h with ample passing space, and carpark roads (speed 15-20km/h). As the Dutch often practice, if vehicle speeds are low, cyclists are permitted to mix as reaction times are improved.
hmmmm, even with a good 100+ dollar helmet will not protect you at those speeds u know dat right? They are just styrene. Only a proper motorcycle helmet will help you at those speeds, dat is if you neck is not snapped.
Try Lorine road. It is doubly dangerous, esp at the left turn to expressway path.
Thank you for shedding light on this
you're welcome!
thanks for good research and arguement. Thanks for sharing benefits of cycling, namely; cancer reduction, stroke reduction, clean air, reduce traffic congestion, etc. I agree with you that Mandatory Helmet Law (MHL) will do more harm than good by putting off commuting cyclists. When i lived in Georgetown Penang, i was mainly a recreational Mountain biker, so i was not surprise that 80% of bicycle crashes occur off road. i support the petition to Singapore Government to refine the MHL
Since Covid19 lockdown, I commute to KLCC 2 to 3 times a week a round trip of 25 km by bicycle, promote 🚴♂️cycling as zero carbon personal mobility, regular physical💪 & mental😍 exercise, support local small business along the way, low cost🤑, decongest dangerous; #cycleForLife
you're welcome!
man, i really miss Malaysia, and i can't wait to visit it once the coronavirus dies down!
Hello from London! Thanks so much for the great video. I am a fietser myself, I commute the relatively short distance from my home to the office by bike and I cycle like an old man. Because of your video, I worked out my average speed on my commute - the distance is 4.2 km and I take approx 20 minutes (well 18-19 if the lights are just right, 21-22 if I hit the red lights) but that kinda clocks me in at 12.5 km/hr (give an take a bit). Now that's very slow, but I take it easy, I'm usually not in too much of a hurry. So I'm thinking, that doesn't seem much faster than the 10 km/hr speed limit mandated for cycling on the sidewalk in Singapore but nonetheless, I'm usually cycling on the road which isn't perfect but doable and never on the sidewalk/pavement. Oh and of course, the weather in London is a lot more conducive to cycling - it's 9 degrees out there at the moment.
Really good video. I live in a city where cycling is extremely impractical so this was really informative
thanks!
Over here in Switzerland, people on bikes wear helmets like second skin. In fact, it is one of the things you learn as a kid, as soon as you get a balance bike (at 2 years old, or 3) and confirmed by the police when the latter pays a visit in kindergarten to teach how to navigate the streets (by foot or yes, on bikes). So I just couldn't understand why the mandate would discourage people to ride their bikes. Human nature is hardwired to consider a safe environment most of the time. A little inconvenience (do helmets feel uncomfortable being so snugged on the head?) can't dampen the thrill and adventure of cycling, imho.
hey, thanks for asking!
welp, i'm not for or against helmet use - for me, it doesn't feel that uncomfortable and i'm fine with using it
the points i listed are for people riding for transport, so if you're referring to cycling as a sport for thrill, mandating helmets probably don't have an impact on that.
for some, it may be the case - especially for people who have not tried cycling for transport and have an exaggerated sense of how hot the weather is.
if i can't get on a shared bike without first needing to head to the bike shop to purchase a helmet, i might as well drive to the destination instead. spontaneity - which shared bikes are supposed to bring is essentially killed off.
since the mandate, there has also been visibly less people cycling on the road for transport, which is quite worrying. some people do not mind cycling no more than 10km/h, but others gave up cycling and switched to driving around the neighbourhood. this has implications as it makes the road more unsafe for people who still cycle, and there are health issues that rise with lesser physical activity.
as far as i know, Switzerland doesn't have a mandatory helmet law, and i hope it stays that way
as fun as it is, not everyone wants to experience the thrill and adventure of cycling - some just want to get from A to B, and the law is making it difficult for such
it's really cool that your police department takes the effort to educate young kids - teaching them how to get around at a young age is fantastic!
It's actually cars, lorries and buses that are dangerous(usually cause death in collision with a cyclist/padestrian) These vehicles can travel high speeds with very heavy vehicle body thus, causes a huge impact upon in direct contact with human or Bicycle. Bicycle accidents(in collision with padestrian) on the other hand, rarely cause death, at most serious injury(worst case scenario). Some padestrians couldn't be bothered to give way to cyclists upon hearing a ringing of the bicycle bell.
I strongly agree with your message in this video. As a cyclist, if accidents happen, most of the time it will be some leg injury. Will only have arm injury if your whole body fly off your bicycle. Head injury is unlikely because you will be using your arm to reduce impact.
We need better bicycle infrastructure so that it is more conducive to cycle and this in turn, makes more people want to give up driving and start cycling.
I like the “apa ini” you used 😂
Seems like the Active Mobility Office has done more harm than good since it's set up. With MHL, how did the shared bicycle companies react? Did they start to provide helmets?
well, it looks like the AMAP mastered the art of killing off modes of active mobility in singapore, lol (no, that's actually tragic!)
i don't think the shared bike companies could provide helmets because the bikes are dockless which makes the helmets susceptible to theft.
shared bike company anywheel even listed "no riding on roads" in their app - meaning that even if one brings a helmet to the shared bike, it still cannot be used when it's needed the most, rendering multiple bicycles lying in areas not served by transit and footpaths completely useless
lol reminded me of a convo i had wif an old school cyclist unker. he has been cycling on SG roads w/o helmet for like 50 years he tell me suddenly minister and cronies do photo op/wayang news report cycle on PCN for less than 20 mins suddenly decide to mandate helmet use. from his POV this single move would likely turn off new people to cycle and gahmen if really sincere about going car lite shooting themselves in the foot!
i think ya .
for smaller streeets connecting hdbs.
the single lane bidirectional (1lane in each direction) can be narrower to encourage slower speed (unconsciously).
the left over road space can be used as cycling lane for cycling with not just paint on the road but actual divider or curb. (actually if you want can have 2lane bicycle path if the footpath has a pcn)
that adding the continous footpath/cycling path
would really help
Regarding the passing distance, I--as a rather avid cyclist and driver, both in Japan (a rather orderly country) and Indonesia (a less orderly one :D )--wouldn't mind car passing me a tad closer, say:
- 50 cm, if neither is going faster than 30,
- 80 cm, if neither is going faster that 40,
- 1 m, if the car is going 50,
- 1.5 m, if the car is going 60 and over,
- 2 m, if the bicycle is going 50 and over.
At times, while driving, I'd rather pass a cyclist with lower speed difference rather than veering to the other lane. As a cyclist, I'd always just stick to my line to be more predictable.
I get it that too get the hang of this distance and speed, you need to both cycle and drive. Unfortunately not everyone does. Nonetheless, trying to understand each other is always better.
Also, mandatory helmet law sux big time, mandatory gloves law would be much more beneficial for cyclist in light accidents that are more common. I do commute with no helmet, and sportier rides with one (if I could borrow from friends) :)
that's a good point!
the passing distance needed for a person to feel comfortable is largely dependent on the speed difference
there are some who are more unfamiliar and may accidentally pass too closely, which is understandable
i'm not sure whether this is applicable to Japan, but there are also people who intentionally perform such close passes to vent their hate against "cyclists" and intimidate people cycling on the road
that's when a minimum passing distance would serve as a deterrent for such intentional acts of violence
yep, the mandatory helmet law is horrible!
@@tehsiewdai How I feel:
- slow or gradual (with small speed difference) pass: hint of acknowledgement, acknowledgement, and awareness. ones you do when you see friends along the road;
- far-distance pass: "I don't exactly care about you but I am supposed not to hurt people"
- almost near-miss pass: "Oops, sorry. Didn't expect to see you there/going that way." but no hurtful feelings.
- that close pass when the motorist slam the accelerator pedal when they are by your side: "I just don't like you"
You can always tell from the exhaust note and how sharply the motorist take the line. If this is going to go legal, dash/helmetcam of either party should suffice as evidence.
Such hateful close passes are not that common in Japan, given that they are culturally trained to understand bicycle as they are required to ride one to school during middle- and high-school years and accustomed to ride one recreationally during elementary-school years. Not that other countries are less polite and less mannerly.
Thanks for sharing this, in 1 stroke, all the 'fietser' in residential areas with broken pavement are deem criminals for breaking the law.
As a cyclist in Singapore, I dont feel cycling on the road is safe. No matter what happened on the road, cyclist will mostly get blamed. So normally I ride on foot path for safety, but sometimes some pedestrian dislike this.
In Slovakia, the helmet mandate for children and teenagers in not really enforced, so it is considered a voluntary option. The police does not seem to really care. Also, a couple of years ago, a new law was passed that introduced a safe passing distance (1.5m outside and 1m inside a built-up environment) + a helmet is no longer mandatory for people on bikes travelling outside of cities and villages.
I'm surprised that biking infrastructure in Singapore isn't any better than Malaysia lol (yeah but Malaysia problem is much worse, obviously - we got kapcai to deal with, too)
Are you collecting hard data on bicycle participation rates? This could be a great case study that could benefit riders in other jurisdictions like Australia, New Zealand, and the various US states and Canadian provinces, by objectively demonstrating the suppressive effect of mandatory helmet laws.
Thanks for this video! Super informative 👌
So just to clarify, as of today it's Mandatory to wear a helmet if cycling on a road in Sg?
And this does not apply if cycling on a footpath/walkway?
yep, that's right!
We can ride on drain covers, there’s no 10km/h law governing that
the best bus stop bypass is perhaps the shelter above it /s
If you look at the Tour de France, all the riders are wearing helmets. And in the same way, motorists should have to wear helmets, flameproof overalls and five-point harnesses with roll cages. And only drive on one-way streets.
Will definitely vote for you if you were my MP! Thanks for this video! Very interesting indeed! 😂 So much research done and I salute you for that!! I have also enjoyed watching the other videos too! And…I myself am a wielrenner….😅
I got a feeling that SG govt dun wan bicycle on the roads because it's "low SES" like how they dun wan too many motorbike on the road, SG Govt wanna be 1st world country and they think not having a lot of motorbike and bicycle on the road is a step towards it
Do you think uptake of cycling as a mode of transport will go up in SG, given how hot and humid the weather is here? I can only imagine people turning up at work or school drenched in sweat haha. In any case, agree entirely with your video and enjoy your other videos as well! Keep it up!
can confirm bukit timah is just impossible to cycle in
also nice car sound effects
Off road mountain bikes are a whole other risk factor and should not even be lumped in with this. The bicycle infrastructure is a way more important discussion. In some countries you can get away without a helmet but the default should be to wear one. The out of shape person getting on a bicycle for the first time in years for fitness is probably the one who needs a helmet the most.
It doesn't make sense for cyclists to support the mandatory helmet law. I suspect it is the motorists that ultimately pushed that law through, in order to discourage cycling. Another effect of that law is to draw attention away from the one source of danger that is implicated in every road traffic fatality: motor vehicles.
love your videos
my son ( 7 yrs) loves your video!
Should we require people to lock their doors too?
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
You made a really interesting pov~
pov = point of view
Have one for the algorithm!
Well said!
thanks!
Good video. Now Make a video on why we should remove traffic lights
Has it been mandated yet? Im thinking of getting into cycling.
yep
@@tehsiewdai So what happens if you cycle without helmets? Do you really get fined?
Hear me out, what about Mandatory Helmets for EVERYONE? including Pedestrians and even Drivers? This is for Total Safety. :)
1:26 SG5999Z spotted
didn't notice it when it was editing, lol!
Great video!
thank you!
Malaysia: ITS THE WILD WEST
Cars generate tremendous income for government. Not cycle.
Used to live in KL and visited Singapore a couple times. Travelled Europe and seen that Amsterdam cycling infrastructure. But honestly - if you want the world’s best cycling infrastructure then come to Beijing. That’s one of my main reasons for living here. Best cycling city in the world. No contest.
at 6:43 I just laughed and laughed till my stomach hurt
You want a longer life?
wear a helmet.
This video is fuckin amazing
thanks, lmao!
3:05, how would it be extremely unlikely when the chance is nearly 1 in 10.
Btw does mandating helmets reduce the number of people cycling? I might have missed this in the video.
hey, thanks for asking!
for the first enquiry regarding 1 in 10, it may sound high, but the likelihood of an accident occuring in the first place is already very low. even if it does happen, the positive outcomes which cycling bring vastly outweighs the chance of an accident. it's being explained in Guardian's video so i won't explain in full here.
mandating helmets do reduce the number of people cycling (mostly for transport)
in Australia, cycling rates dropped by 30% after the introduction of MHL
for Singapore, the results will be different because there's the bicycle boom during covid. more people are cycling - but as a hobby and for leisure
the way MHL affects the bicycle population is more for people cycling as a mode of transport.
the statistics on bicycle population in Singapore are quite limited so I can't give a definitive answer to your question, but for places without footpaths and public transit where the bicycle is the only mode of transport left (excl walking), it's quite clear that bicycle usage has dropped significantly.
@@Sivah_Akash
welp, as long as people can't find their helmet in 10 seconds, off they go into their car lmao!
helmets deter people from using shared bikes, especially on paths where helmets are mandatory - no one carries a helmet around everyday, and it kills the spontaneity that shared bikes are supposed to bring
@@tehsiewdai, oh ya forgot about the shared bikes thing.
Nice video btw.
@@Sivah_Akash
no worries!
glad you liked the video (:
Yes, a main point is that MHL reduce cycling participation. And because cycling is such a net positive for personal health and hence national well being, mandating helmets massively decreases health across society (and for each individual, on average)
And you are listening to a man that apparently never been hit by a freaken car...lucky him....
LOL I RECENTLY MOVED TO SGOON GARDENS AND I HATEE THE PATHS LIKE WHAT DA ACTUAL FUK LOL
We don't need anymore mandates
4:55 miaooooo
POFMA incoming!
A piece of styrofoam is not going to help 😂😂😊
Good points, but u failed to consider the fact that normal people, if cycling on roads would cause traffic flow to be extremely congested, making cycling extremely dangerous. Being a road cyclist myself, it is pretty dangerous to cycle on the road, one must be 100% aware of the surroundings, people jaywork, motorcyclists run red lights. Ine way around this is either 1) create cycling dedicated paths. and/ or 2) only permit cycling in small roads. (Not wearing helmet)
What do you think?
I view the helmet laws as similar to wearing a seat belt in a car.
Sure you can risk not wearing a helmet and cop a fine. And sure you can risk falling off your bike and smashing your head on something. Yeah helmets might make you look stupid, but they kinda protect you if something goes wrong.
No helmet for all, since it’s not a bad thing to have less Singaporeans anyway. How dare the government want to have laws to protect the people, they shouldn’t make wearing seatbelt mandatory too, especially for those who only want to drive 3 mins to coffee shops in the neighborhood, the speed is slow, the distance is short, it must be safe enough to not wear any.
Yeah, we put in a bunch of safety features into cars and spend a lot of money into making car infrastructure forgiving to drivers, yet we still have way too many deaths from collisions and such
But yes, let's do the thing that'll discourage people from using the mobility device that doesn't have 2 tons of steel, a billion blind spots, and the ability to create a lot of momentum from mass alone, in the name of safety! At least in an SUV, the other person you crash into dies first
I agree. Since the majority of TBI cases are car drivers/ passengers, I propose we pass a helmet law for cars too. Think of all the lives that can be protected!
Also, unlike cycling, cars have all the necessary space to hold a few helmets each.