We have been seeing a growth in the number of cyclists on the road, with the limited activities that one can do in Singapore. Many of us have found a new hobby, cycling!
Sometimes we would cycle directly from our houses onto the roads, and sometimes at the parks. Most of us face a very common issue: How do I get my bicycle there? We end up trying to squeeze our bicycle inside the car, bringing down the front passenger seat just to make space for 1 bicycle! Does this sound familiar to anyone? Also if you want to cycle with your friend or spouse at the park, there is totally no room to fit the bicycles in the vehicle!
Therefore, many of us have turned to fixing a bicycle hitch attached on the back of our rides, solving this problem and we can all sit comfortably in the car on the journey there. You might have seen some of these cars installed with this on the roads. Then again, many of us worry about the safety of it, and whether it is complaint with the Land Transport Authority. Hence I am here to share more insight regarding this matter.
Will it endanger anyone else on the road? Is it safe?
The bicycle racks comes in different shapes and sizes, due to the different types of bicycle racks available for different types of bicycles.For example for a mountain bicycle, the stand would have to be thicker and heavier to hold the weight. These racks can be folded and it should not protrude the body of the vehicle, hence it shouldn't affect the surrounding vehicles on the road.
2. Is it LTA complaint?
As of to date, LTA has not specified clearly whether these kind of bicycle racks are road legal or not, however they did provide some guidelines for us and have stated that they have no objections currently for this!
This is the response from LTA:
We have, in-principle, no objections to the installation of a bicycle rack at the rear of a car for the purpose of transporting bicycles so long as the following safety requirements are complied with: (a) the bicycle rack installed should be suitable for vehicle; (b) the installation of the bicycle rack and the securing of bicycles on the rack is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations; (c) no part of the bicycles shall project beyond the body or wheels of the vehicle; (d) the transportation of the bicycles shall not impair the rear view of the driver, the vehicle number plate, the vehicle lighting systems or cause any danger to other road users. (Note: If the vehicle number plate is obscured by the rack or the bicycles transported, then an additional number plate has to be hung at the rear of the vehicle); (e) rear view mirrors shall be fitted externally on the off-side and near-side of the vehicle to assist the driver to become aware of traffic at the rear and on both sides rearwards; and (f) the bicycle rack should be removed from the car when not in used. As the transportation of bicycles at the rear of the vehicle may have implications on road safety aspects, drivers are advised to drive the vehicle with due care and attention and with reasonable consideration for other road users. Enforcement action will be taken against drivers who convey their bicycles in a manner likely to cause danger, annoyance or obstruction to other road users.
We wish to also inform you that the tow hook/hitch must be detached from the vehicle when not in use as they may aggravate injuries to motorcyclists should they come into contact with the hard surface of the tow hook/hitch in the event of a collision.
Some of the Bicycle Tow Hitches that we have fitted!
We have done many different cars from Japanese cars to continental ones, all custom made accordingly to the size of the rack as well as the structure of each car. Here at Jeep Chee Garage, we serve each and every of our customers with personal care for their vehicles. To find out more about the bicycle tow hitches, you may come down to our shop for a short discussion with us.