SINGAPORE: She has ridden her electric scooter to and from work since 2009, and hardly takes the bus or train.
When Singapore banned such motorised personal mobility device (PMDs) from footpaths at the end of 2019, Sarah (not her real name) did not despair.
She simply continued with her preferred mode of transport - be it legally on cycling paths and park connectors; or illegally over pedestrian walkways and short stretches of roads.
According to the 50-year-old, it's impossible to be fully law-abiding during her 20-minute work commute, as the cycling paths are not seamless and often interrupted by pavements.
“They say that with a PMD, we have to ride on paths with the red-coloured dotted line (indicating a shared path), but near my house, there aren't any. So what can I do?”
Sarah was even caught last year by enforcement officers, who confiscated her PMD worth S$1,500 (US$1,110) and fined her S$500.
She promptly bought another and resumed riding. “The officers can stop me ... but I’m going to buy some more. I won’t stop.”
And in the face of such brazen acts of defiance, it is pedestrians who suffer, said those living in active mobility hotspots as identified by authorities.
“The pavement has been robbed away from us,” said a Toa Payoh resident who only wanted to be known as Mark.
The 62-year-old, who works in logistics, said that in the five years since the ban, he hasn't sensed any improvement in his safety while walking around his estate.
Auxiliary police officers have been deployed to deal with errant riders "but it only works when they are there", said Mark.
He recounted an incident about two years ago when a young boy illegally riding a PMD was "going super fast" and nearly hit him and his wife as they were taking a walk.
Amid continued palpable tension between active mobility users and pedestrians, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) told CNA the number of accidents involving PMDs fell significantly in the years since the ban.
There were 144 accidents involving motorised PMDs on footpaths in 2019; 30 in 2020; and six in the first half of 2024.
The data alone implies that the ban has been a success, said Assistant Professor Terence Fan from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at the Singapore Management University.
The population of e-scooters - the most common PMD, according to LTA - also dropped from more than 73,000 in 2019 to just over 5,200 in 2024.
With fewer PMDs on the streets, what are the implications for Singapore's active mobility aspirations, which include a stated goal to build over 1,000km of cycling paths by the end of the decade?
Many commuters clearly consider active mobility devices to be superior to other travelling modes, given their popularity, said Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) transport economist Walter Theseira.
“The question is whether with more connectivity through legal paths, we can strike a balance between the possibilities new transport technologies offer us, and the risks to other path users."
Following the 2019 ban on the use of Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs) on footpaths such as this e-scooter at a traffic junction in Yishun, LTA said there has been a drastic drop in both ownership and accidents. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
While most food delivery riders have switched to using power assist bicycles (PABs), more comonly known as e-bikes, or personal mobility aids (PMAs) - some persist in using PMDs. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
According to LTA data, it's not just the number of accidents involving PMDs that's gone down - the same goes for other devices.
These include bicycles, personal mobility aids (PMAs) and power-assisted bicycles (PABs).
The total number of mishaps involving all active mobility options fell from 189 in 2019 to 83 in 2020 and 18 in the first half of 2024.
For PMAs in particular, which have been the scourge of many residents in active mobility hotspots, accidents involving them dipped from six in 2019 to two in 2020 and none in the first half of 2024.
At the same time, the number of offences involving PMDs has also declined in the past few years. For instance, there were 2,133 instances in 2020 of riders caught using motorised PMDs on footpaths; this dropped to 65 in the first half of 2024.
LTA said it “remains committed to ensure path safety for all path users through regular enforcement and public education to encourage safe path-sharing practices”.
Its team of active mobility enforcement officers patrol public paths daily and operations are conducted regularly to enforce against errant users, the authority said.
“We have also stepped up enforcement and leveraged technology such as mobile CCTVs, and used feedback from the public as well as social media to complement our enforcement efforts.”
With LTA ramping up enforcement efforts and reporting lower instances of active mobility accidents and errant PMD users, do residents feel safer?
Prior to the 2019 footpath ban, Yishun resident Rosalind Yap was once hit by a man on a PMD, causing her to drop her phone.
“After the ban, there has been an improvement," said the 61-year-old, who works in customer service.
"Now there seems to be some separation along footpaths, where this path is for those on wheels, and another path is for those who are walking, so that is good.”
A Tampines resident who only wanted to be known as Madam Kua said that before 2019, she didn't dare to use a side exit at her condominium, for fear of PMDs riding past at high speeds.
“Now, there aren’t PMDs anymore, so I’m very happy,” said the 74-year-old retiree.
A bus turns past a Personal Mobility Aids (PMA) rider crossing a traffic junction in Yishun on Dec 16, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
A food delivery rider rides across a pedestrian crossing on a Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs), Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
Two men riding across a junction on a PMA in Yishun, Dec 16, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs) are restricted to a speed of 10km/h but many were seen zipping across traffic junctions. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
Allowed for use on footpaths and cycling paths, PMAs can leave pedestrians jostling for space. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
But other residents at active mobility hotspots said they've observed a rise in the use of alternatives such as PMAs and PABs.
No official statistics exist for PMAs - which include motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters - as they don't need to be registered with LTA.
To Yishun resident Ken Wong, however, PMAs have become more abundant now, and he still feels the need to look over his shoulder when walking on footpaths.
“Most of the time I see PMA more than PMD to be honest ... (but) if you ask me to really go and differentiate, I can’t,” said the 40-year-old, who works in IT.
“I’m pretty sure not all of them are medically required (to use a PMA).”
In March, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) accepted recommendations by an Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP) on PMA regulations.
They are set to kick in next year and include allowing only those certified with relevant medical needs to use such devices, as well as a reduction in speed limit from 10kmh to 6kmh.
Another Yishun resident, Mdm Santhony N, was unconvinced that the situation would improve.
“PMAs are the ones that are affecting us the most, they can carry a lot of people and they are very heavy,” said the 64-year-old salesperson. “I find that this has to be banned, because it is really so dangerous.”
“In fact, I feel safer on the road than on the footpath ... Because it's just like crossing a road, every time I turn, I’ve got to look out.”
In an informal, anonymous poll conducted by CNA on Telegram, 70 per cent of over 15,000 respondents said that since the PMD ban, they did not feel safer walking along footpaths and park connectors.
On top of potentially being unaware of falling accident numbers, the public may not base their perception of safety on statistics anyway, said SUSS lecturer Che Maohao.
“PMAs and bicycles are generally larger in size as compared to PMDs,” said Dr Che, who researches road safety engineering and non-motorised transportation.
“When residents have to share the narrow footpaths - in many cases 1.5m wide - it is reasonable that they do not feel safer.”
Assoc Prof Theseira agreed that devices like bicycles and PMAs on pathways pose what pedestrians may feel is an “ongoing risk”.
“What doesn’t help is that some neighbourhoods have pathway designs where unfortunately there are choke points or areas where all types of users tend to intersect, which makes things worse,” he said.
“So, it's also an issue of whether our journeys as pedestrians tend to naturally place us in conflict and whether redesign of pathways could help.”
When asked why she didn't opt for a PAB - which can at least be ridden on the roads - Sarah said she had bad knees and was unable to pedal for long durations.
A food delivery rider, who declined to be named, said the PMD was his preferred device. Bicycles are too tiring and he doesn't have a license to ride a PAB, the 29-year-old told CNA.
He said that while he could only deliver food for up to six hours on a bicycle before exhaustion kicked in; on a PMD he could easily keep going for 10 hours.
He bought his PMD three years ago despite the ban on footpaths already having been in place.
Acknowledging that he sometimes “bends the rules” as there are simply no approved paths to get to his destination, he said: “It’s a struggle ... (if) we must push the PMD so far to get to the HDB block, what is the point?”
Then there are those who still use PMDs for the thrill of it.
A 20-year-old CNA spoke to in the Pasir Ris-Punggol area admitted to illegally riding along roads and footpaths "when we have to".
Though he also uses his device to deliver food, it serves as his main transport mode - and to take frequent joyrides around the island late at night.
“Sometimes, once in a while, you’d also want to go on an adventure,” he said. “If you cycle around Singapore ... it’s a bit troublesome.”
Major food delivery firms told CNA that PMDs were not approved for use by its riders, and that they work closely with authorities to take action against those who flout the rules.
Grab said most of its riders abide by the regulations, and that the small percentage who once flouted laws generally do not reoffend.
A spokesperson said, however, that the upcoming regulations on PMAs could affect the earnings of its riders who use the devices, as stricter speed limits would mean covering fewer orders.
Some "genuine" PMA users may also find it difficult to obtain the required medical certification and thus be deterred from platform work, the spokesperson added.
Deliveroo said it would remain open to riders using vehicles like PMAs to fulfil deliveries.
A spokesperson said the company does not impose time limits on riders to complete deliveries, nor does it provide incentives for fast deliveries.
Foodpanda, as well as Grab, said they have been engaging authorities on the impending PMA rules, with a view to implementation "that is fair to all stakeholders and protects the livelihoods of our delivery partners".
LTA has said that it encourages active mobility use and will continue to expand active mobility infrastructure.
Walking, cycling or riding on public transport remains key to building a car-lite society, where Singaporeans choose more active and sustainable modes of transport to get around, the authority said.
“The expansion of the cycling network will facilitate the take-up of these modes by making active mobility safer and more convenient."
Since 2019, LTA has grown Singapore's islandwide network of cycling paths from 440km to over 600km currently. It is targeting around 1,300km of cycling paths by 2030, and for the the network to reach all towns.
Commuters and food delivery riders on bicycles and Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs) wait at a junction on Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
Signage, prohibiting any rider of biycles, PMDs and PMAs next to a biycle parking area at Northpoint Mall in Yishun on Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
An e-scooter with a seat attached, one of the more common forms of PMDs, parked next to bicycles at Northpoint Mall, Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
A PMA rider waits at a pedestrian crossing in Yishun on Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
A woman rides her bicycle between pedestrians at a traffic crossing in Yishun, Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
Dr Che said this could pave the way for extensive access to most neighbourhoods in Singapore - and for PMDs to perhaps become a viable and reliable option for daily commutes.
Assoc Prof Theseira, however, noted that most park connectors and cycling paths still do not reach deep into common destinations such as Housing Board estates.
“There could be approved paths for much of the journey, but if many journeys require manually pushing the PMD on footpaths some distance, the user will either be tempted to illegally use the PMD on a footpath or will decide that the pushing cost outweighs the benefit,” he said, adding that non-approved paths could also interrupt journeys and discourage PMD use.
“Without viable options for first or last mile connectivity to HDB blocks or (other) destinations via PMD-approved paths, I think PMDs will not be taken up again.”
LTA has additionally announced that bicycles and non-motorised PMDs like kick scooters will be banned from footpaths adjacent to cycling lanes, starting from July next year.
This will leave PMAs as the only allowed devices on these so-called pedestrian-only paths. With additional regulations on their use to be announced next year, the prospect of a vibrant active mobility culture in Singapore remains murky, experts said.
“(Enhanced regulations on PMAs) will probably greatly reduce the volume of PMAs on the paths," said Assoc Prof Theseira.
"And we'll be back to a situation where there is no motorised, easy-to-operate local transport option."
Continue reading...
When Singapore banned such motorised personal mobility device (PMDs) from footpaths at the end of 2019, Sarah (not her real name) did not despair.
She simply continued with her preferred mode of transport - be it legally on cycling paths and park connectors; or illegally over pedestrian walkways and short stretches of roads.
According to the 50-year-old, it's impossible to be fully law-abiding during her 20-minute work commute, as the cycling paths are not seamless and often interrupted by pavements.
“They say that with a PMD, we have to ride on paths with the red-coloured dotted line (indicating a shared path), but near my house, there aren't any. So what can I do?”
Sarah was even caught last year by enforcement officers, who confiscated her PMD worth S$1,500 (US$1,110) and fined her S$500.
She promptly bought another and resumed riding. “The officers can stop me ... but I’m going to buy some more. I won’t stop.”
And in the face of such brazen acts of defiance, it is pedestrians who suffer, said those living in active mobility hotspots as identified by authorities.
“The pavement has been robbed away from us,” said a Toa Payoh resident who only wanted to be known as Mark.
The 62-year-old, who works in logistics, said that in the five years since the ban, he hasn't sensed any improvement in his safety while walking around his estate.
Auxiliary police officers have been deployed to deal with errant riders "but it only works when they are there", said Mark.
He recounted an incident about two years ago when a young boy illegally riding a PMD was "going super fast" and nearly hit him and his wife as they were taking a walk.
Amid continued palpable tension between active mobility users and pedestrians, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) told CNA the number of accidents involving PMDs fell significantly in the years since the ban.
There were 144 accidents involving motorised PMDs on footpaths in 2019; 30 in 2020; and six in the first half of 2024.
The data alone implies that the ban has been a success, said Assistant Professor Terence Fan from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at the Singapore Management University.
The population of e-scooters - the most common PMD, according to LTA - also dropped from more than 73,000 in 2019 to just over 5,200 in 2024.
With fewer PMDs on the streets, what are the implications for Singapore's active mobility aspirations, which include a stated goal to build over 1,000km of cycling paths by the end of the decade?
Many commuters clearly consider active mobility devices to be superior to other travelling modes, given their popularity, said Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) transport economist Walter Theseira.
“The question is whether with more connectivity through legal paths, we can strike a balance between the possibilities new transport technologies offer us, and the risks to other path users."
Following the 2019 ban on the use of Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs) on footpaths such as this e-scooter at a traffic junction in Yishun, LTA said there has been a drastic drop in both ownership and accidents. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
While most food delivery riders have switched to using power assist bicycles (PABs), more comonly known as e-bikes, or personal mobility aids (PMAs) - some persist in using PMDs. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
According to LTA data, it's not just the number of accidents involving PMDs that's gone down - the same goes for other devices.
These include bicycles, personal mobility aids (PMAs) and power-assisted bicycles (PABs).
The total number of mishaps involving all active mobility options fell from 189 in 2019 to 83 in 2020 and 18 in the first half of 2024.
For PMAs in particular, which have been the scourge of many residents in active mobility hotspots, accidents involving them dipped from six in 2019 to two in 2020 and none in the first half of 2024.
At the same time, the number of offences involving PMDs has also declined in the past few years. For instance, there were 2,133 instances in 2020 of riders caught using motorised PMDs on footpaths; this dropped to 65 in the first half of 2024.
LTA said it “remains committed to ensure path safety for all path users through regular enforcement and public education to encourage safe path-sharing practices”.
Its team of active mobility enforcement officers patrol public paths daily and operations are conducted regularly to enforce against errant users, the authority said.
“We have also stepped up enforcement and leveraged technology such as mobile CCTVs, and used feedback from the public as well as social media to complement our enforcement efforts.”
HOW PEDESTRIANS FEEL
With LTA ramping up enforcement efforts and reporting lower instances of active mobility accidents and errant PMD users, do residents feel safer?
Prior to the 2019 footpath ban, Yishun resident Rosalind Yap was once hit by a man on a PMD, causing her to drop her phone.
“After the ban, there has been an improvement," said the 61-year-old, who works in customer service.
"Now there seems to be some separation along footpaths, where this path is for those on wheels, and another path is for those who are walking, so that is good.”
A Tampines resident who only wanted to be known as Madam Kua said that before 2019, she didn't dare to use a side exit at her condominium, for fear of PMDs riding past at high speeds.
“Now, there aren’t PMDs anymore, so I’m very happy,” said the 74-year-old retiree.
A bus turns past a Personal Mobility Aids (PMA) rider crossing a traffic junction in Yishun on Dec 16, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
A food delivery rider rides across a pedestrian crossing on a Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs), Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
Two men riding across a junction on a PMA in Yishun, Dec 16, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Wallace Woon)
Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs) are restricted to a speed of 10km/h but many were seen zipping across traffic junctions. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
Allowed for use on footpaths and cycling paths, PMAs can leave pedestrians jostling for space. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
But other residents at active mobility hotspots said they've observed a rise in the use of alternatives such as PMAs and PABs.
No official statistics exist for PMAs - which include motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters - as they don't need to be registered with LTA.
To Yishun resident Ken Wong, however, PMAs have become more abundant now, and he still feels the need to look over his shoulder when walking on footpaths.
“Most of the time I see PMA more than PMD to be honest ... (but) if you ask me to really go and differentiate, I can’t,” said the 40-year-old, who works in IT.
“I’m pretty sure not all of them are medically required (to use a PMA).”
In March, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) accepted recommendations by an Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP) on PMA regulations.
They are set to kick in next year and include allowing only those certified with relevant medical needs to use such devices, as well as a reduction in speed limit from 10kmh to 6kmh.
Another Yishun resident, Mdm Santhony N, was unconvinced that the situation would improve.
“PMAs are the ones that are affecting us the most, they can carry a lot of people and they are very heavy,” said the 64-year-old salesperson. “I find that this has to be banned, because it is really so dangerous.”
“In fact, I feel safer on the road than on the footpath ... Because it's just like crossing a road, every time I turn, I’ve got to look out.”
In an informal, anonymous poll conducted by CNA on Telegram, 70 per cent of over 15,000 respondents said that since the PMD ban, they did not feel safer walking along footpaths and park connectors.
On top of potentially being unaware of falling accident numbers, the public may not base their perception of safety on statistics anyway, said SUSS lecturer Che Maohao.
“PMAs and bicycles are generally larger in size as compared to PMDs,” said Dr Che, who researches road safety engineering and non-motorised transportation.
“When residents have to share the narrow footpaths - in many cases 1.5m wide - it is reasonable that they do not feel safer.”
Assoc Prof Theseira agreed that devices like bicycles and PMAs on pathways pose what pedestrians may feel is an “ongoing risk”.
“What doesn’t help is that some neighbourhoods have pathway designs where unfortunately there are choke points or areas where all types of users tend to intersect, which makes things worse,” he said.
“So, it's also an issue of whether our journeys as pedestrians tend to naturally place us in conflict and whether redesign of pathways could help.”
Related:
WHO STILL USES PMDS?
When asked why she didn't opt for a PAB - which can at least be ridden on the roads - Sarah said she had bad knees and was unable to pedal for long durations.
A food delivery rider, who declined to be named, said the PMD was his preferred device. Bicycles are too tiring and he doesn't have a license to ride a PAB, the 29-year-old told CNA.
He said that while he could only deliver food for up to six hours on a bicycle before exhaustion kicked in; on a PMD he could easily keep going for 10 hours.
He bought his PMD three years ago despite the ban on footpaths already having been in place.
Acknowledging that he sometimes “bends the rules” as there are simply no approved paths to get to his destination, he said: “It’s a struggle ... (if) we must push the PMD so far to get to the HDB block, what is the point?”
Then there are those who still use PMDs for the thrill of it.
A 20-year-old CNA spoke to in the Pasir Ris-Punggol area admitted to illegally riding along roads and footpaths "when we have to".
Though he also uses his device to deliver food, it serves as his main transport mode - and to take frequent joyrides around the island late at night.
“Sometimes, once in a while, you’d also want to go on an adventure,” he said. “If you cycle around Singapore ... it’s a bit troublesome.”
Related:
Major food delivery firms told CNA that PMDs were not approved for use by its riders, and that they work closely with authorities to take action against those who flout the rules.
Grab said most of its riders abide by the regulations, and that the small percentage who once flouted laws generally do not reoffend.
A spokesperson said, however, that the upcoming regulations on PMAs could affect the earnings of its riders who use the devices, as stricter speed limits would mean covering fewer orders.
Some "genuine" PMA users may also find it difficult to obtain the required medical certification and thus be deterred from platform work, the spokesperson added.
Deliveroo said it would remain open to riders using vehicles like PMAs to fulfil deliveries.
A spokesperson said the company does not impose time limits on riders to complete deliveries, nor does it provide incentives for fast deliveries.
Foodpanda, as well as Grab, said they have been engaging authorities on the impending PMA rules, with a view to implementation "that is fair to all stakeholders and protects the livelihoods of our delivery partners".
FIRST AND LAST MILE ISSUES?
LTA has said that it encourages active mobility use and will continue to expand active mobility infrastructure.
Walking, cycling or riding on public transport remains key to building a car-lite society, where Singaporeans choose more active and sustainable modes of transport to get around, the authority said.
“The expansion of the cycling network will facilitate the take-up of these modes by making active mobility safer and more convenient."
Since 2019, LTA has grown Singapore's islandwide network of cycling paths from 440km to over 600km currently. It is targeting around 1,300km of cycling paths by 2030, and for the the network to reach all towns.
Commuters and food delivery riders on bicycles and Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs) wait at a junction on Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
Signage, prohibiting any rider of biycles, PMDs and PMAs next to a biycle parking area at Northpoint Mall in Yishun on Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
An e-scooter with a seat attached, one of the more common forms of PMDs, parked next to bicycles at Northpoint Mall, Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
A PMA rider waits at a pedestrian crossing in Yishun on Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
A woman rides her bicycle between pedestrians at a traffic crossing in Yishun, Dec 16, 2024. (Photo:CNA/Wallace Woon)
Dr Che said this could pave the way for extensive access to most neighbourhoods in Singapore - and for PMDs to perhaps become a viable and reliable option for daily commutes.
Assoc Prof Theseira, however, noted that most park connectors and cycling paths still do not reach deep into common destinations such as Housing Board estates.
“There could be approved paths for much of the journey, but if many journeys require manually pushing the PMD on footpaths some distance, the user will either be tempted to illegally use the PMD on a footpath or will decide that the pushing cost outweighs the benefit,” he said, adding that non-approved paths could also interrupt journeys and discourage PMD use.
“Without viable options for first or last mile connectivity to HDB blocks or (other) destinations via PMD-approved paths, I think PMDs will not be taken up again.”
LTA has additionally announced that bicycles and non-motorised PMDs like kick scooters will be banned from footpaths adjacent to cycling lanes, starting from July next year.
This will leave PMAs as the only allowed devices on these so-called pedestrian-only paths. With additional regulations on their use to be announced next year, the prospect of a vibrant active mobility culture in Singapore remains murky, experts said.
“(Enhanced regulations on PMAs) will probably greatly reduce the volume of PMAs on the paths," said Assoc Prof Theseira.
"And we'll be back to a situation where there is no motorised, easy-to-operate local transport option."
Continue reading...