Crashes and near misses.

An NY cyclist proving a point about bike lanes...

And talking about accidents, while I was cycling last night. I had one of the scariest near misses...

Looking at the junction where the incident happened (the wrong way round), so looking at it from this angle is that I am coming from the traffic light to this carpark junction, I was heading straight up ahead.

From this angle, which is my point of view. Below will be the description of what happened...

I just passed a cyclist who was crossing the traffic light/pedestrian crossing illegally (aka j-walking or j-cycling, if you may), the cyclist saw me and hesitated to cross slowing down in the middle of the road and me passing him on the left. Note to all: Passing someone on the left is strongly discouraged.

I then heard a series of car horns a distance away. I glimpsed right a little (less than I usually would, maybe 5 degrees? As I expected traffic to slow down due to the cyclist I just passed and that up ahead was a turn). Next thing I know. A car was directly infront of me, turning left into the carpark tires screeching. I Braked hard, rear tires locking. Not enough time. I turned into the carpark with the car, narrowly missing contact.

"AB!!!!!!!!!!!!", I shouted at the top of my voice (I am sorry I shouted that, fighting hostility with the same is never a good outcome.). My mind in a bit of doubt, maybe he didn't see me. Me shouting would definitely alert him.

He had to slow down for a hump, I pulled to the right of the white Honda Jazz where is stopped and the windows rolled down. A young chinese man in his mid twenties, of what appeared to be a typcial ah beng. I kept my distance.

"Hey, what the hell? You nearly ran me off the road!", my voice shaking from the adrenaline. (Actually he DID run me off the road.)

"You never hear my horn meh? Huh!", he hastily answered clearly agitated from me shouting at him.

"What the hell? How do I know? I thought you were horning at him!" I gestured to the cyclist that I just passed.

I was in utter shock, I was supposed to have a rear view of him coming at me? Trying to kill me? As long as he horned I was supposed to yield to him? He had no regard of my life at all. Was it because I shouted at him? Was he drunk?

The best part was, the cyclist I passed, a passerby and the passenger inside his car did nothing to help me. Singapore is truly a fine country.

 

As a lesson to me, install a mirror on my bike. always look right when approaching a junction where vehicles can turn left. It has saved me many times before, ride safe guys!