As Singapore becomes ‘car-lite’ to reduce its carbon footprint, more initiatives are rolled out in support of greener transport alternatives. One of them is the Land Transport Authority’s ‘Confidence On Wheels’ (CW) programme involving 17 SUSS students, aimed at educating and promoting safe riding practices for cyclists, users of power-assisted bicycles (PABs) and personal mobility devices (PMDs).
Kicking off the event was the guest-of-honour, Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (SPS), Ministry of Transport. Together with Mr Baey, our students participated in a 45-minute ride at the National Stadium’s 100Plus Promenade. Simulating narrow paths and road obstacles, stations in the circuit set-up taught our students how to control and maneuver their bicycles in various scenarios to gain confidence when cycling.
By the end of the session, they returned armed with complete theoretical and practical skills on how to be gracious and safe cyclists. They learnt to follow safety guidelines and rules to a tee, even down to the proper way of checking that their bicycles were in order before entering the circuit – a practice that is easily overlooked!
During the programme, participants were also taught how to use active mobility infrastructure while exercising the rules under the Active Mobility Act.
Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (SPS), with SUSS students
"I enjoy night cycling, but I am nervous when it comes to cycling on roads as I don't know the correct rules. Besides, drivers also drive very fast and I can't see very clearly at night," shared Lim Qi En, SUSS student who participated in the event to learn more about safe riding protocols for assured safety and greater confidence.
Ms Lim, President of SUSS Outdoor Interest Group, who was similarly enlightened after attending the course, added, "After participating in today's programme, I feel more confident to cycle on roads.”