Shared-bike users who park badly face $5 fine and ban
New QR code parking system to be introduced next year to ensure bikes are parked in designated zones
From next January, bike-sharing users must use a new parking system or risk being fined and banned for up to a year.
As part of a framework announced in March to tackle indiscriminate parking, offenders will be charged $5 each time by the licensed bike-sharing operators. Those who offend three times or more in a calendar year can be banned from using bike-sharing services for up to a year.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) yesterday said it will start installing Quick Response (QR) codes at public bicycle parks island-wide from the end of this month.
To end their trip, users must scan the QR code and park the bike properly or run afoul of the new regulations .
LTA said it will launch a campaign early next month to educate users on the new system.
The QR code system was first mooted when the Parking Pla-ces (Amendment) Bill was ta-bled in Parliament in March.
The new regulatory framework, to be rolled out by LTA next month, will require bike-sharing operators to control their fleet sizes and pay a security deposit and an annual licence fee for every bicycle.
They must implement measures to ensure their users park properly and are responsible for enforcing the ban on recalcitrant offenders.
Operators will be required to share information with each other to carry out the bans. The shortest ban period is a month after three offences and will rise with each subsequent ban.
Operators are to provide the LTA with location data of all hired and un-hired bicycles. The new system works by validating the location of the scanned QR code with the location of the parked bicycle at the end of a trip.
If the QR code at the bicycle parking zone is damaged or missing, users must take a picture of the damaged QR code or of the shared bicycle parked at the designated zone and submit it to the licensed operator via its mobile application.
Welcoming the new regulations, bike-sharing firm ofo said it is committed to ensuring a smooth transition for users.
Its general manager Isabelle Neo said: "We have been discussing with LTA to examine the best way to implement new regulations, such as the QR code geo-fence process."
"We believe that these solutions, when comprehensively rolled out, can be a part of an effective solution to ensure that users adopt responsible cycling etiquette."
Anywheel's strategy manager Seet Rui Jie also supported the new parking system but expected a drop in usage due to the added inconvenience.
Mr Seet said: "You cannot really fulfil the first-mile and last-mile mode of transport as (users) have to park somewhere farther away."
LTA said more than 99 per cent of public housing residents, 95 per cent of private homes and 97 per cent of key destinations are within a five-minute, 400m walk from bicycle parks today.
The agency said it will increase the number of parking spaces, including bicycle racks and lots within parking boxes, from 207,000 to 267,000 by 2020, having added 7,000 new spaces since the start of this year.
Singapore University of Social Sciences transport economist Walter Theseira said that while the new QR code system removes some of the freedom associated with dockless bike-sharing, it is more flexible and less costly than a traditional docked system.
He cautioned that to keep bike-sharing attractive, there must be smooth implementation and the designated parking zones must be convenient.
"This is a good compromise. We have to see whether we can keep the usefulness of a dockless system while mitigating indiscriminate parking."
Mr Brandon Chan, a 26- year-old student who uses shared bicycles thrice a week, said while he understands the reasons behind the new parking system, the inconvenience of having to finding a designated parking spot may put him off.
"The reason I use bike-sharing is for speed and convenience… My usage will definitely decrease."
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