Cyclist fined $5k after leaving bike on road for nearly 30 minutes, obstructing traffic
Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
March 5, 2026
During the evening peak hours, a cyclist left his bicycle on the road at a zebra crossing for almost 30 minutes after he felt that a nearby car had "inched out and suddenly braked".
However, video footage later revealed that the car had not "inched out", but had already stopped moving when Tan Poh Chuan rode the bicycle on the crossing.
Tan's actions caused a traffic obstruction, and 10 passengers had to alight from a nearby public bus to find other ways to reach their destinations.
On March 5, the 47-year-old Singaporean admitted to causing the obstruction – an offence under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act – and was ordered to pay the maximum fine of $5,000.
State Prosecuting Officer (SPO) Chng Leng Leng told the court that Tan was riding his bicycle in Anchorvale Street in Sengkang shortly before 7pm on Oct 10, 2024, when he saw that a car had stopped at a zebra crossing.
He was at the crossing when he felt that the car had "inched out".
SPO Chng added: "The accused looked at the driver and gestured to indicate that this was a zebra crossing... The accused dismounted from his bicycle and placed it in front of the motor car at the zebra crossing to prevent it from moving forward.
"As the accused felt that the driver showed no sign of being apologetic, the accused called the police for assistance. While waiting for the police to arrive, he continued to leave his bicycle at the zebra crossing."
Tan, who left his bicycle on the road for nearly 30 minutes, then made three calls to the police about the situation.
Officers also received three calls from others about the traffic obstruction he had caused.
Several members of the public and an SBS bus driver asked him to move his bicycle, but he refused to comply.
As a result, 10 passengers had to alight from the public bus to find other ways to get to their destinations.
The bus was stopped for nearly 20 minutes, and Tan finally moved his bicycle after police officers arrived at the scene shortly after 7.20pm that day.
On March 5, defence lawyer Mark Cheng told the court that his client had called the police three times and was told to wait for officers to arrive.
Mr Cheng also said that Tan had been told to "preserve the scene".
But before handing down the sentence, District Judge Tan Jen Tse said that a deterrence sentence was needed in this case, stressing that the offender had taken matters into his own hands.
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