More scrutiny on safety of public mobility devices
Public views are being sought on how cyclists and personal mobility device (PMD) users should behave when travelling on footpaths and in crowded areas.
These include whether they should ride more slowly than the current recommended top speed of 15kmh.
The Active Mobility Advisory Panel launched an online survey yesterday to gather feedback on these issues, as it reviews the rules and codes of conduct that it drew up two years ago.
The review was prompted by the growing use of PMDs such as e-scooters and the worrying incidence of mishaps involving them - an average of three accidents a week.
Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, chairman of the panel, said in a Facebook post yesterday: "All path users - whether cyclists, PMD users or pedestrians - have a part to play to create a safe active mobility culture in Singapore."
Prof Faishal, who is Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Social and Family Development, as well as an MP for Nee Soon GRC, said: "The survey results will help us in our continued reviews."
He leads the 14-member expert panel, which was formed in 2015 to develop a set of rules governing the use of footpaths and cycling paths.
Noting that the Government had accepted its proposal to register e-scooters last month, Prof Faishal said the panel met last week to discuss "other areas that we can review to further improve the active mobility environment in Singapore".
The panel's initial set of recommendations - accepted by the Government in April 2016 - were legislated later as the Active Mobility Act, which is expected to take effect later this year.
In coming up with the rules, the panel also took in public feedback from various channels, such as focus group discussions and an online survey of 5,000 respondents.
The latest survey covers several topics, such as the mandatory use of helmets for cyclists travelling on roads, how safe pedestrians feel when cyclists and PMD users ride past them, and what riders should do at road crossings.
Members of the public have up till the end of this month to submit their views for the survey, which can be accessed at www.tinyurl.com/pathsharingsurvey
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