Cyclist's demand for right of way in crowded MBS draws netizens' ire

The crowd at the open space at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) was there to watch the fireworks, but a hot-tempered cyclist stole the show for a minute - and drew pyrotechnics from netizens instead.

The man of indeterminate age or nationality - though he did sound Singaporean - did not seem in the mood to share in the mirth of the National Day rehearsals with any of his compatriots or tourists in the area.

From the start of the 30-second clip that has gone viral on various platforms, he seems flustered, waving to the people in front of him and saying in Mandarin: "Don't blame me if I hit you."

'I said excuse already'

He then wobbles ahead on a bicycle that appears to be too small for him but is forced to come to a halt after about a metre, shouting in Mandarin that people around him are blocking his path.

Switching to English, he unleashes a remarkable tirade: "I said excuse already, I asked you all, OK, please don't block the road OK, sorry, I'm sorry please don't block the road, OK?"

While the baffled crowd walks past him, he reverts to Mandarin, insisting that whoever had incurred his wrath was "talking rubbish", before appearing to cycle off as the video ends.

'Why can't you just push your bicycle'

At press time, the video has received more than 102,000 views on Facebook page SG Daily, where it garnered more than 300 reactions and about 280 comments. It was also shared 138 times. On the Singapore News Facebook page, the video had 134,000 views, 428 reactions, 118 shares, and 165 comments.

Netizens were far from impressed with the grumpy cyclist's behaviour. Many felt he should never have attempted to ride his bicycle in such a crowded area.

"Normally, this situation, I will dismount and push, it's impossible to ride on, lol," said Lim Adam, commenting on the Singapore News page.

"Who permitted you to cycle in such a crowded area?" said Bernadette Anastasia Ngiam to the cyclist. "Please use a bit of common sense. There's no need for arrogance in this situation."

Others said that he could have been more polite in asking the crowd to give way to him.

"The cyclist should have been more courteous," said Koh Ron on the SG Daily Facebook page.

"Don't shout, say in a polite way," urged Jason Tan.

There were netizens who questioned the cyclist's intelligence, with several calling him entitled and a bully. A few unkind ones even picked on his weight or said he was mental.

Some were worried that the image of Singaporean cyclists would be sullied by the man's fantastic outburst.

Huang Guo Qiang (transliteration) summed it up on Singapore News: "This kind of arrogant behavior gives Singaporean cyclists a bad name. The area is a popular tourist spot and usually very crowded - why can't you just push your bicycle instead of forcing your way through the crowd? Learn to act with basic courtesy and respect others, not like a wild animal."

Judith Chan on SG Daily was less patient and felt the cyclist's demands were a sorry excuse for very bad behaviour.

"Should fine him for public disturbance," she said.