S'porean man, 47, leaves bicycle on road & blocks traffic for 29 minutes while arguing with driver, gets fined

After getting into a dispute with a car driver, a cyclist dismounted, left his bicycle on the road, and refused to move it for almost half an hour.

Tan Poh Chuan, 47, admitted to causing an obstruction on a public road and was sentenced on Mar. 5.

He was fined the maximum penalty of S$5,000.

The incident occurred during the evening peak period on Oct. 10, 2024, at a zebra crossing along Anchorvale Street in Sengkang.

Dispute at zebra crossing led to obstruction

Tan had been cycling along Anchorvale Street at about 6:50pm when he approached a zebra crossing, where a car had already stopped, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

He believed the vehicle had inched out and suddenly braked while he was crossing.

Tan reacted by gesturing to the driver to indicate that this was a zebra crossing.

He then got off his bicycle and positioned it in front of the car at the crossing, preventing the vehicle from moving forward.

Unhappy that the driver was not apologetic, Tan called the police for assistance and continued to leave his bicycle at the zebra crossing while waiting for officers to arrive.

But video footage later showed that Tan had been mistaken, and the car did not in fact inch out while Tan was at the crossing.

Traffic disruption during evening peak hour

Tan left his bicycle on the road between about 6:53pm and 7:22pm, causing a blockage that lasted around 29 minutes during peak traffic hours.

The obstruction led to significant traffic congestion at the zebra crossing, according to court documents.

Several passers-by, including an SBS bus driver, urged Tan to move his bicycle but he refused.

As a result, a public bus was unable to proceed and remained stationary for about 19 minutes.

Ten passengers eventually had to get off the bus and find alternative transport to continue their journeys.

Tan finally removed his bicycle after police officers arrived at the scene at about 7:22pm.

During that time, the police received three calls from Tan about the situation, and another three calls from members of the public reporting the traffic disruption.

Judge says offender took matters into his own hands

During sentencing, District Judge Tan Jen Tse said a deterrent sentence was appropriate.

The court noted that Tan had effectively taken matters into his own hands by blocking the vehicle and causing disruption to other road users, reported The Straits Times.

For the offence of creating an obstruction or inconvenience on a public road by leaving a vehicle there and impeding traffic, an individual may be fined up to S$5,000.

If Tan does not pay the fine, he would have to serve 20 days in jail.

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