Six cyclists who rode in unsafe manner on Orchard Road plead guilty, may face probation

SINGAPORE: Six young men who filmed themselves weaving between vehicles and performing bicycle stunts on Orchard Road admitted to flouting cycling rules on Tuesday (Nov 19).

The court called for probation suitability reports for all of them, given their youth.

Two of the cyclists cannot be named under the Children and Young Persons Act as they were 17 at the time of the offences in May.

The remaining four cyclists are: Ahmad Noordinie Mohamed Noorshah, 19; Muhammad Irfan Muhamad Noor, 19; Muhaidy Marhady, 20; and Muhammad Aliyul Qadry Mohamad Razak, 20.

The police were informed by a hotline tip-off at about 11pm on May 10, 2024 that a group of cyclists was riding dangerously on Orchard Road.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Huo Jiongrui told the court that the six young men were part of a group of nine people who had met with their bicycles at Bukit Panjang MRT station earlier that night.

The identities of the three other people in the group are not known.

The group cycled along Bukit Timah Road, Stevens Road, Orchard Road and Lau Pa Sat to Jurong Pitstop, where they dispersed at about 4am.

While cycling along Orchard Road, one of the 17-year-olds took his hand off the handlebar to hold his phone and record a video of the group. He sent this video to Aliyul, who uploaded it to TikTok.

In court, Mr Huo described the antics captured in the video. This included Noordinie performing two wheelies (riding the bicycle while its front wheel is off the ground), Aliyul cycling with both hands off the handlebars, and various members of the group riding on the second and third lanes of the road.

At one point, Aliyul and a 17-year-old cyclist rode between stationary vehicles. The 17-year-old was still using his phone to record a video at the time.

The video also captured the group stopping inside a yellow box at a traffic light.

Aliyul, who had four charges, pleaded guilty to failing to ride in an orderly manner by cycling without holding the handlebars and between stationary vehicles, failing to keep to the left side of the road, not wearing a helmet, and using a bicycle that did not have a working handbrake.

The 17-year-old who filmed the video pleaded guilty to all three of his charges. He admitted to failing to ride his bicycle in an orderly manner by holding his phone instead of the handlebars, using his phone to record a video while cycling, and failing to keep to the left side of the road.

The other four cyclists pleaded guilty to two charges each. All admitted to failing to cycle on the left side of the road.

Noordinie also admitted to failing to ride in an orderly manner by performing a wheelie, Irfan to cycling with one hand off the handlebars, the second 17-year-old to overtaking other cyclists while riding in the third lane, and Muhaidy to not wearing a helmet.

District Judge Kok Shu En called each offender to the stand individually, asking whether they and their families were prepared to go through the assessment for probation. All answered yes.

When Muhaidy and the 17-year-old who filmed the video said that their parents were not present, Judge Kok questioned them sharply on whether their parents knew they were in court.

Both said yes, and agreed to make sure their parents were present at their next court mention on Jan 9, 2025. The judge is expected to consider the probation suitability reports and sentence them then.

For failing to ride close to the left edge of the road, an offender can be jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$1,000, or both.

Repeat offenders face double the jail term and fine.

The penalties are the same for failing to cycle in an orderly manner, using a bicycle that does not have a working brake and failing to wear a suitable helmet.

For using a mobile communication device while cycling, an offender can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$1,000, or both. Penalties are doubled for repeat offenders.