Banning PMDs from footpaths would ‘push riders onto roads’, lead to more deaths: Lam

SINGAPORE — Banning personal mobility devices (PMDs) from Singapore’s footpaths would push riders onto roads, likely causing more deaths because cars, buses and lorries move at greater speeds, Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Transport, said.

Dr Lam on Monday (Aug 5) also told Parliament that the Active Mobility Advisory Panel, which looks into the rules governing mobility devices, is mulling over suggestions to further lower speed limits for PMDs. He hopes that the panel will submit its recommendations by the year's end.

Fielding questions from 14 Members of Parliament (MPs) after giving a ministerial statement on PMDs, Dr Lam said that the authorities could have barred these vehicles from pavements and shared pathways, such as cycling paths, from the start.

However, all things considered, he said that these vehicles widen choices for commuters, and still have a role in first-mile and last-mile connections — taking commuters from homes to train stations, for instance.

Imposing a ban on public paths would have “just pushed PMDs onto the roads”, he added.

He was replying to Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan, who asked if the Government would consider banning PMDs until the infrastructure improves. There have been persistent calls to ban these vehicles from footpaths.

Dr Lam said that the Government promotes active mobility because it is good for the country and its citizens, and helps Singapore achieve its vision of going car-lite.

PANEL LOOKING INTO SPEED LIMITS

On another point, Dr Lam said that he has asked the Active Mobility Advisory Panel to look into feedback that called on the authorities to further lower speed limits for PMDs and other vehicles on public paths.

He was answering a question from Dr Teo Ho Pin, MP for Bukit Panjang, on whether the limit may be cut, especially on shared paths.

Right now, PMDs must keep within 25km/h on shared paths. On footpaths, the limit was trimmed from 15km/h to 10km/h as recently as February, on the panel’s recommendation.

Despite the recently lowered limit for footpaths, there have been suggestions for it to go down more.

‘NOT NECESSARY’ TO MANDATE SAFE-RIDING COURSE

Repeating an idea raised previously by retailers and users, Dr Teo and Mr Dennis Tan, a Non-Constituency MP with the Workers’ Party, asked if the Safe Riding Programme by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) could be made compulsory for all riders.

In response, Dr Lam said that the authorities had considered the idea, but concluded that it “may not be necessary” at this juncture. Instead, efforts will continue to encourage users to undergo the course, which was rolled out in February last year.

More than 57,000 people have since attended the 90-minute course, which takes users through a training circuit and the rules governing PMDs, Dr Lam said.

The course on safe-riding practices — free until the end of this year to encourage participation — is conducted in places such as community clubs and schools.

OTHER SUGGESTIONS

· Speed-tracking gadgets: To monitor speeds, Ms Cheryl Chan, MP for Fengshan, suggested that gadgets be mounted on PMDs put up for sale, so that the authorities do not have to triple or quadruple the number of enforcers. LTA is set to double the size of its 100-strong enforcement team to about 200 by the year’s end. But there can never be enough enforcers, and these gadgets could automatically monitor violations by riders, Ms Chan said.

In reply, Dr Lam said that LTA is embracing technology to ensure users ride responsibly and has, for instance, deployed mobile closed-circuit television cameras, which are on trial at hot spots. The authorities will consider new technologies to improve enforcement whenever they become available, he added. In the interim, there is a need to have enough officers on the ground.

· Licensing: Mr Alex Yam, MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency, suggested licensing riders. He proposed that riders be granted a permit to buy a PMD only after they have attended the Safe Riding Programme — a suggestion raised before by industry players.

Dr Lam replied that the Government does not intend to license riders for the moment, but will study the idea to ascertain if it is necessary in the future.