When a cyclist was sentenced to a week's jail last December over a fatal accident involving a pedestrian, it was a reminder of how dangerous a bicycle can be when handled without due care.

I was reminded of this during a recent cycling outing with my wife and two children at East Coast Park, as we witnessed a number of near-collisions.

As it was a Sunday, there were many areas along the cycling path overcrowded with all kinds of cyclists.

These included toddlers on their tiny four-wheelers, children learning how to cycle, older ones who could cycle but were still unsteady at times, teenagers who were fast, adults (like myself) doing a leisurely ride with their children, and other adults on racing bikes doing their weekend training.

I observed that those on racing bikes belonged to two sub-groups.

The first sub-group appeared to be responsible and, despite their intent to train, would slow down and wait patiently in areas where there was overcrowding or where they noticed children cycling unsteadily.

The second sub-group cycled at breakneck speed, most times recklessly weaving in between the slower cyclists, who often were children.

They would also shout rudely to the slower cyclists to get out of their way.

Before a serious accident involving children occurs, the authorities should seriously look into this matter and address the issue.

Kevin Sng