‘Got overhead bridge for what?’: Motorcyclist puzzled as large group of students cross Pasir Ris road
A video showing a large group of primary school students and their guardians crossing a road in Pasir Ris has sparked debate, with viewers divided over whether the group had jaywalked.
On Sept 18, TikTok user @haneefraihan uploaded a 23-second clip of himself “casually riding to work” on his motorcycle, taking his usual route.
At the five-second mark, the motorcyclist appears to notice a “new hump” ahead, marked with bright yellow paint.
“Okay sure cos it’s a school zone whatever,” wrote haneefraihan.
He can be seen slowing down as he approaches and rides over the hump. However, he is soon met with a confusing sight, prompting him to exclaim: “Eh?”
A large group of students, many accompanied by adults, begin crossing the road nearby, despite an overhead bridge being within sight. The section of road does not appear to have a designated pedestrian crossing, although there appears to be a short pathway across the road divider.
As he passes the group, a man wearing a blue singlet appears to stare pointedly at him.
The incident led the motorcyclist to ask several questions, including:
- “I slow down for y’all to cross is it?”
- “Did I (miss) a new traffic light or something?”
- “Where was I supposed to go?”
- “Got overhead bridge for what?”
In his caption, the motorcyclist asked fellow road users for their opinions.
In the comments section, he later clarified that the incident took place beside Park View Primary School.
Based on Stomp’s online checks, the students’ uniforms in the video appear to be those worn by pupils from the school.
Confusion over jaywalking?
The video has since amassed 287,800 views, 19,600 likes and 291 comments.
Many netizens were similarly confounded by the sight, asking why the group had “all collectively decided to cross” despite noticing the motorcyclist headed their way.
Haneefraihan was also encouraged by many to report the incident to the school for appropriate measures to be taken.
“Report to the school. Last time my discipline master say any students found jaywalking will be given disciplinary action. These students have to learn to obey the law,” wrote one.
“The school should deploy road marshal to ensure the safety of the kids and not let them cross randomly,” suggested another.
A group of netizens were critical towards the adults in the video. “Best are the parents teaching their kids to jaywalk,” remarked one commenter, while several others noted that some of the adults had given the motorcyclist the “stinky eye” as though he had committed an offence.
Other netizens suggested there may have been confusion over the road layout.
“Wait they thought it was meant for pedestrian to cross because of the cemented pathway across the road,” commented one.
“Got a lot of these new humps around on the roads. (I don’t know) why but gives pedestrians a misconception that they can cross first,” said another.
In Singapore, jaywalking is an offence. It generally refers to crossing a road without using a designated pedestrian crossing when one is within 50m of such a crossing.
Stomp has reached out to @haneefraihan and Park View Primary School for comment.
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