IT’S called Jalan Wat Siam, but its nickname has a more sinister
ring - ‘cemetery road’.
And true to its nickname, this road at Pulau Ubin has already
claimed two lives.
On Sunday, Madam Lee Yan Inn, 41, died after she was flung off a
tandem bicycle together with her daughter.
The housewife had lost control of the bike while they were going
down a steep slope.
She hit her head, lost consciousness and died 11 hours later in
hospital.
Another fatality occurred two years ago when student Zawiyah
Mohd Muliana, 18, fell and hit her head while cycling on the same
slope.
She slipped into a coma and died later in hospital.
The slope looks deceptively easy to navigate but it’s a 200m-
long, curvy slope with a sharp incline of about 30 to 40
degrees.
To novice cyclists, it can be quite a challenge, said seasoned
cyclist November Tan, who helps organise guided cycling tours of
the island.
And there’s an average of one accident along the stretch every
month, though most are minor, islanders told The New Paper.
There are four street signs along the stretch of the slope
warning cyclists and motorists to go slow.
But old-timers on the island have dubbed it ‘cemetery road’
because there’s an old Chinese cemetery on top of the slope.
Longtime resident Ong Kim Cheng, 50, said he avoids cycling
along that stretch because of stories about an old female ghost
lurking there.
He said in Mandarin: ‘I don’t like to ride around this area
because of the stories about this place being haunted. People say
that they’ve seen a female ghost here while picking durians, so I
am not surprised about the accidents.
‘But the slope is really quite steep and can be quite dangerous
if you’re not careful.
‘I’ve seen cyclists with scratches and bruises walking back to
return their damaged bikes after falling along this slope.’
Superstition aside, the islanders agree that this is one of
Ubin’s most dangerous roads to cycle on.
It’s called Jalan Wat Siam because there was previously a Thai
temple there. It was relocated to Jalan Kayu last year.
Residents call it ‘cemetery road’
Reporter Desmond Ng’s sketch showing the area around the accident
site. TNP PICTURES: MOHD ISHAK
When The New Paper visited Jalan Wat Siam yesterday, four
cyclists, all foreigners, were riding on the slope.
All had no problems cycling there.
Japanese expatriate Momo Matsutani, 28, was shocked to hear
about the death.
She said: ‘It’s not difficult to cycle here. We just came down
slowly and we didn’t speed.’
At the bottom of the slope, there’s also an NParks signboard
with a map of the area and a warning: ‘Always wear a helmet when
riding in this area’.
Warning ignored
But it seems very few visitors pay heed to the warning.
All four bike rental shops we visited at the main village offer
helmets for rent at $2 to $3 each, but they have found few
takers.
Yen Fa Bike Rental’s Mr K H Sit, 55, said in Mandarin: ‘Some
people think it’s too expensive to rent the helmets. To many
people, it’s just not a habit here to wear helmets and cycle.’
Mr Sit had rented the bikes to Madam Lee and her family on
Sunday.
He said that if she had worn a helmet, the accident may not have
been fatal.
Owners of bike rental shops there said that only one out of
every 10 people rent helmets.
It costs about $3 to $15 to rent a bicycle for the whole
day.
When The New Paper was on the island yesterday, no cyclist was
seen wearing a helmet.
Cyclist Nick Ward, 25, said: ‘I don’t think there’s a need to
(wear helmets). It’s not that dangerous.’
Some islanders felt that the road should be closed.
Said Mr Sit: ‘There’s nothing to see there, so there’s really no
point for anyone to cycle up there.
‘If people tell me that they plan to cycle there, I’ll just tell
them to go elsewhere. The authorities should either close the road
or make it safer for cyclists.’