Ignoring Pedestrian Signals, "I'm Passing!"... Controversy Over Bicycle Riders

Cyclist Speeds Through Without Stopping for Pedestrians... Netizens Outraged
Bicycles Also Subject to 'Right Turn Stop' Under Road Traffic Act

A bicycle club was caught racing through pedestrians, ignoring pedestrian signals, sparking controversy.

On the 10th, multiple online communities saw a post titled "Bicycle Club Update" go viral. The post included footage recorded from a motorcycle black box. The video showed members of a bicycle club riding in a line through an intersection in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on the 26th of last month.

[Photo by Online Community Capture]

While cars were stopped at the red light and pedestrians were crossing the street, a group of bicycle club members wearing protective gear and colorful clothes appeared from the edge of the road, shouting "That's right~ Oh nice."

They ignored the pedestrian signal and made a right turn. After one passed, the others followed in a line, numbering roughly seven or more. When they first passed, pedestrians had just entered the crosswalk and were at a distance from the bicycles, but later, about five or six pedestrians had almost finished crossing the street.

However, the cyclists did not stop and shouted "Passing through!" to the pedestrians. The pedestrians flinched and stopped in place, only crossing after all the bicycles had passed. The "Watch for Pedestrians When Turning Right" sign at the crosswalk was rendered meaningless.

The person who recorded the video stated in subtitles, "I know they ride in lines, but this was a bit much," adding, "It was a pedestrian signal, but the citizens had to wait instead." They also mentioned that the location is popular for cycling.

Netizens who watched the video immediately expressed outrage. Comments included, "Please stop causing trouble for others," "Don't they enforce regulations on this?", "The road is becoming chaotic," and "How is there not a single bicycle that stops?" One user commented, "No wonder they get called 'Jarani'." 'Jarani' is a portmanteau of 'jajeongeo' (bicycle) and 'gorani' (roe deer), used to criticize dangerous bicycle riders on the road.

Meanwhile, according to the revised Road Traffic Act Enforcement Rules, which strengthen pedestrian protection obligations, when making a right turn at an intersection with a red light for the forward vehicle signal, drivers must stop temporarily at the stop line or before the crosswalk regardless of pedestrian presence before turning right. Where dedicated right-turn signals are installed, drivers may proceed according to the right-turn signal.

Accordingly, bicycles that violate the 'temporary stop before right turn' rule are subject to a fine of 30,000 KRW and 10 penalty points. The bicycle riders in the video can all be considered subject to fines and penalty points.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.