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With effect from 1 February. the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will tighten the technical requirements for power-assisted bicycles (PABs) and impose stricter penalties for those who sell and use non-compliant PABs.
The new measures by LTA is said to be intended for improving safety for PAB users and for other road users, including pedestrians.
PABs will need to comply with new requirements that are aligned with European Standard EN15194 in order to be approved and sealed with the new orange seal.
The revised technical requirements are aligned with the European standards and specify safety requirements such as those for electric circuits, batteries, power management and maximum power. Only PABs that adopt the revised requirements and weigh no more than 20kg will be type approved and be affixed with a seal for use on public roads. The standard is applied in 33 countries across Europe and in Australia.
Members of the public who are buying PABs should look out for the new orange seal which will be affixed to PABs that meet the revised technical requirements. PABs that have been approved under the current requirements and affixed with a blue seal will still be allowed for use on public roads.
Penalties for riding a non-compliant PAB
- 1st offence: Composition sum of $300
- 2nd offence: Composition sum of $500
- Repeated offenders may also be charged in court and have their PABs seized.
More information on PABs can be found at LTA’s One.Motoring website at LTA Information & Guidelines/Buy a New Vehicle/Power-Assisted Bicycles.
