SINGAPORE – It was a clear afternoon on March 26, 2022, when educator Joseph Lee, 49, was cycling along Senja Road, off Woodlands Road.
He was wearing a bright red T-shirt and helmet.
But as he turned at the junction with Senja Way, a taxi in a right-turn-only lane illegally drove straight, side-swiping him.
Lee was flung off his bike and the impact from landing fractured his collarbone in two places.
The cabby’s insurer later accepted full liability and paid damages.
Yet for Lee, the months of painful recovery and dependency on others for basic tasks like bathing and eating were very frustrating.
He said: “There are cyclists who break the rules, doing things like running red lights and nothing happens to them. But I did everything I was supposed to do. Yet, I was the one suffering.”
With Singapore’s roads becoming more dangerous in recent years, cyclists have become increasingly at risk.
Accidents involving cyclists hit a four-year high in 2025, with a total of 772 accidents, of which 17 were fatal. There were 620 accidents involving cyclists in 2024 and 581 in 2023.
The police said more than half of the accidents were due to cycling in a disorderly manner and failing to keep a proper lookout.
Blame game
During the debate on the Ministry of Home Affairs’ budget in February, then Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann noted how different groups of road users blamed each other for not observing road safety.
She said: “When we talk to drivers, they will point out that motorcyclists or cyclists or pedestrians are at fault. If we talk to motorcyclists, we are likely to be told that it is the drivers who are the problem, and so on and so forth.”
She added that road culture in Singapore needs to change, with all road users needing to do better.
Steven Lim, the vice-president for community outreach at the Singapore Cycling Federation, said there is increasing animosity between different groups of road users. He said: “If we look at the roads today, we see that people are so focused on their own rights and their space, choosing to only see things from their own perspective.
“Everyone has something to say about the next person, but never themselves.”
Lim added that there are cyclists who choose to break the rules, expecting others to give way to them, with many beating the red light in groups.
He said: “Some cyclists think just because they are on a bicycle, the traffic rules don’t apply to them. They think if they beat the red light, they can’t be caught.”
In a recent case, two cyclists were sentenced to jail and a short detention order respectively after beating the red light and colliding with a jogger in 2025.
Lim said there seems to be an increasing number of cyclists who try to justify why they can break the rules.
He said that if everyone started adopting such a mindset, society would break down and cease to function.
He said: “Cyclists, along with other road users, should be following the rules to keep themselves and others safe.
“We cannot control what others do, but we can play our part in this shared responsibility. Only then can we build a road culture of mutual respect.”
Mindset shift
Francis Chu, president of the Safety for Active Mobility Users group, said there needs to be a shift in mindset.
He said that beyond the idea of shared responsibility and rules, road users should put the safety of others before their own rights or convenience.
This means choosing not to insist on one’s right of way if doing so means potentially harming another, he said.
Chu recalled a close call in Pioneer when a lorry accelerated past him to beat an amber light.
The sudden surge of the massive vehicle created a suction draft that pulled Chu, who was cycling, towards it.
He said: “The driver could argue he had the right to pass the amber light, but he definitely was not looking out for others.”
Chu added that if empathy was prioritised over entitlement, then many accidents could be avoided.
Lee agreed, saying he hoped all road users would show more empathy.
He said: “I understand some of us may be rushing for time. But we all just want to get home safe and sound. You may save one or two seconds, but if someone else is injured or dies, is that really worth it?”