I recently came across a police notice asking for witnesses in a case where a collision with a cyclist at a traffic light led to the death of a pedestrian. 

I wonder why many cyclists frequently ignore red lights and ride through them with impunity. 

As a regular cyclist, I invariably call out such behaviour, usually when I have stopped at a red signal and see others carrying on blithely.

I was at Woodlands Road early one morning recently and witnessed a close call when a cyclist travelling at speed ignored a red light and almost collided with a pedestrian crossing on the green-man signal. 

Were it not for the pedestrian’s quick reflexes, he would have been another road accident statistic.

If drivers who are also cyclists would never consider ignoring a set of traffic lights, how does it make sense to do so on a bicycle when the only protection afforded is a plastic helmet and a millimetre or two of lycra?

Could the issue of cyclists running red lights be partly related to a lack of enforcement? I wonder how often cyclists are booked for doing so. 

I suspect that if the Traffic Police were to run a short campaign, perhaps stationing themselves along roads frequented by early-morning weekend cyclists and issuing warnings where warranted, word would quickly get around as the cycling community in Singapore is fairly tight-knit.

If the Traffic Police could conduct spot checks for drink driving at night, why not do something similar to prevent cyclists from ignoring traffic signals?

I believe law-abiding cyclists would welcome steps to enforce traffic laws because the sooner cyclists who break the rules are brought into line, the sooner drivers will accept that cyclists have a legitimate right to be on the road and treat them more respectfully. 

That must surely be an outcome that would benefit all road users.

Wong Ee Wai