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I AM the mother of a young baby. We take public transport and walk on the streets and pedestrian paths. My walk with my baby in her pram is a hazardous journey most days because of cyclists: They zoom past us, or head straight at us at top speed. Often, I've had to rush onto the grass verge to avoid them.
The blind spot at a corner after a narrow path leading to our MRT station is an accident waiting to happen. Construction work worsens matters and cyclists swerve around the corner at high speed when they should get off and push their bicycles. Once, my husband had to push a cyclist aside or risk injury to my baby and me. When I scream at cyclists to tell them to beware, they laugh and ride off. Frustrated, I once sought help from the police but the officer who took my call said he wasn't sure how the police could act against reckless cyclists on pedestrian paths.
Bus drivers ask us to leave if we cannot fold our prams, carry our child in one hand and all the bags we need in the other. Access to wheelchairs does not mean access to prams, they say. So baby and I must take the train. But along the way, we might just be knocked down by cyclists one of these days.
Sarah Sum-Campbell (Ms)
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