Singapore bans e-scooters from pavements

Singapore has banned electric scooters from pavements in a move which could cost offenders fines up to S$2,000 along with three months in prison.
November 21, 2019 Read time: 1 min

Senior minister of state for transport Lam Pin Min says: "This ban of e-scooters from footpaths is a difficult decision. But it is a necessary step for pedestrians to feel safe again on public paths, while still allowing e-scooters to grow in tandem with cycling path infrastructure."

A report by The Straits Times says authorities will mainly issue warnings to riders for now but will adopt a zero-tolerance approach from 2020.

The ban will confine e-scooters from 5,500km of pavements to 440km of cycling paths. It will also be gradually extended to other motorised personal mobility devices (PMD) such as hoverboards and unicycles in the first quarter of next year.

"We expected the co-sharing of footpaths to be challenging but we were hopeful that with public education, PMD users would be gracious and responsible," Min continues. "Unfortunately, this was not so."

Min emphasised that PMDs can still be used on cycling paths and park connectors. Singapore’s cycling network is expected to triple by 2030.

UTC

Related Content

  • October 7, 2019
    Dutch road safety ‘getting worse’ says expert
    Roads in the Netherlands have become more dangerous over the last decade, according to one of the country’s leading road safety experts.
    Read More
  • November 26, 2019
    TfL bans Uber from London following security breaches

    Transport for London (TfL) has stripped Uber of its private hire operator's licence following security breaches which it says put passengers at risk.

    Uber slammed the decision but TfL says that a change in the ride-hailing giant’s systems allowed unauthorised drivers to upload photos to other driver accounts.

    This enabled the drivers to fake their identity and pick up passengers - in at least 14,000 trips.

    Read More
  • November 25, 2019
    Lyft pulls out of six US cities

    Lyft is withdrawing its scooter operations from the US cities of Nashville, San Antonio, Atlanta, the Phoenix area, Dallas and Columbus.  

    A company spokesperson told TechCrunch “We’re choosing to focus on the markets where we can have the biggest impact. We’re continuing to invest in growing our bike and scooter business but will shift resources away from smaller markets and toward bigger opportunities.”

    Read More
  • August 14, 2018
    Bird establishes board to help increase safety for e-scooter riders
    US electric mobility company Bird has formed a global safety advisory board to implement campaigns and products to improve the safety for riders using electric scooters. The board will also seek to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists who share space with riders using low-speed e-scooters. Additionally, Bird intends to carry on working with cities through its Save Our Sidewalks pledge to boost rider safety and improve the quality of bikes lanes. The scope of the work includes repainting an
    Read More

Highlighted Content