Does anyone know when it was that bike rides along the PCN became as stressful as they are now? I thought it had something to do with the not-very-strong skill of mine, but if my Co Rider- who has more years of experience compared to me ownself- tells me that yes, the PCN is soooo stressful now, then it really must be so.
It used to be a comfortable, easy ride where you didn't have to look out for cars or vehicles or anything very scary, but these days there seem to be plenty of obstacles on the PCNs. I don't know about others, but boy, the ECP is one, the Punggol Waterway is one (at certain parts) and now, so is the MBS one.
Goodness gracious me.
That used to be so easy. Straight route all the way until you reached the bridge. Now, though the width of the path hasn't changed, there're more bikes, there're more joggers, there're more of those scooters and mind, some of the scooters are really, really small. Never mind that they're small- cos they're kids- but in the dim light, where they're happily scootering away with no light in front or the back, it means us adults who are stoning away on our bikes have to keep a sharp lookout for them in case they sway joyfully into our paths. I haven't gotten a chance to see the lovely night view ever since the path became more crowded in the evenings.
And it is always the adults' fault.
Because they're kids, and they know nothing- or so the concerned parents would say. But I find myself wishing that they would instruct their kids to be more... cautious on shared paths at all times, never mind if you wanna race, and not scoot around like it is their grandfather's road.
I'm not the only one, I'd say. Fellow riders have shared similar tales of woe. Of electric scooters who come barreling upon you and who only swerve at the last minute. Of shared bikers who seem not see you coming in their paths even though they have their headlights on. Of shared bikers who aren't that great at stamina and skill and so tend to swing around dangerously as if they're gonna crash into you in split seconds. Then there're the shared bikers who will have to stop in the middle of the path for group conferences and to get their bearings right on Google Maps whilst waiting for their friends to catch up. Not forgetting too the families, and the occasional family of four who will decide that they have to stop for a drink of water, taking up two thirds of the already narrow PCN path.
There're also the joggers.
Who somehow always happen to be in dark clothes.
There're a couple of PCN paths that I'm definitely going to avoid. No debate. The Kallang-Marina route is one. Not only is the path bumpy and narrow, it is also dim, and it is one of the most heavily populated ones with strollers, joggers, shared bikers, bikers and the doggie all out for outdoor exercise. Never mind the population, we all want to get out and stretch and get our exercise done. It is the circuitous route that I question. Why is it that I have to make a gigantic U-shaped turn (with sharp corners!) in the middle of nowhere when the path could easily have cut right across? I'm going on the road next time. :)
Okay, this article might sound like I'm blaming my fellow users. I'm not. The path is this big, we all want to use it, and we all gotta share it. But we all gotta respect the unspoken system- the unang- somehow, I think. At least we all know what to do, instead of having to react, react, react and react when the reason why some of us cycle is that we want a bit of a space out and a break.
I'm actually more terrified of the PCN than the road these days. Yes, there're huge vehicles, scary drivers and all those cars, but if both routes are just as tense, if both routes need as much caution, what makes the difference between a PCN and the road then?