In a Facebook post on Tuesday (17 December), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that additional markings have been drawn on footpaths to help electric scooter riders distinguish between footpaths and cycling paths.
The markings illustrate an e-scooter rider against a yellow background, with a red line cutting diagonally across the image.
The authority said that in support of the e-scooter bans on footpaths, these new markings have already been seen on paths in Jurong and Sembawang, and it will be progressively expand to all nine cycling towns.
The other remaining cycling towns in the Republic are Tampines, Changi-Simei, Pasir Ris, Yishun, Punggol, Ang Mo Kio and Bedok.
The cycling path networks in these towns are there to allow users of active mobility devices to move around the towns more conveniently.
“In support of the ban of e-scooters on footpaths, we have started to implement additional markings to educate path users and help them distinguish between a footpath and a cycling path,” LTA noted in its post.
It added, “These have been rolled out in estates such as Jurong and Sembawang, and will be progressively expanded to other cycling towns.”
LTA’s move comes just two weeks before the enforcement of an e-scooter ban on footpaths takes full effect.
Since 5 November this year, e-scooters were banned from all footpaths in Singapore, after Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min announced it a day earlier in Parliament.
LTA said in a statement that despite “significant efforts” to regulate the use of such personal mobility devices (PMDs) using laws and to educate the public in using such devices responsibly, “offences relating to errant behaviour and incidents involving e-scooters remained on an upward trend”.
Following the ban, it received massive backlash from individuals, especially food-delivery PMD riders who depend on the device for their livelihood.
Although e-scooters are banned from being used on roads and footpaths in the Republic, it will still be allowed on cycling paths and Park Connector Networks (PCNs).
Those found guilty of disobeying the ban can be fined up to S$2,000 and face jail time of up to three months once the ban is strictly enforced from 2020.
From now till 31 December 2019, there will be an advisory period where offenders will be given warnings, in order to give time for e-scooter riders to adjust to the changes. Just one month after the ban kicked in, the authority said that it had issued 3,444 warnings to errant riders.
In LTA’s post on Tuesday, it said, “Remember that e-scooters are not allowed to be ridden on footpaths and we will strictly enforce against anyone caught doing so from 1 Jan 2020.”
Moving forward, e-scooter riders will also be required to pass a theory test and be of a minimum of 16 years old to be riding on cycling paths. Those who are under the age of 16 will have to be supervised by adults.
This move comes after the Government said on 4 December that it has passed all recommendations brought forward by a panel studying the use of the devices.
