27 errant e-scooter riders caught since 1 January

A total of 27 errant e-scooter riders have been nabbed so far after a strict enforcement on an e-scooter ban on footpaths kicked in on 1 January 2020, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min on 6 January 2020.

The number of accidents involving e-scooters has also dropped by about 30% since the ban started on 5 November 2019, said Dr. Lam in Parliament, adding that further reduction can be expected as enforcement is stepped up.

The footpath ban started on 5 November 2019 and up until 31 December 2019, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) had been issuing warnings to errant e-scooter users. But from 1 January 2020 onward, the authority strictly enforced the ban.

Earlier on 5 January 2020, LTA said on Facebook that 24 errant e-scooter riders had been nabbed in four days since strict enforcement of the ban started in the new year.

The authority said its officers in plain clothes carried out operations from 3 to 4 January 2020 in various areas in Bukit Panjang and Jurong to enforce the new active mobility rules. In particular, the officers looked out for e-scooter riders who refused to heed repeated reminders and continued riding on footpaths.

Offenders may be fined up to $2,000, jailed for up to three months, or both. "Several devices were impounded during the latest enforcement blitz, as they exceeded the stipulated weight limit of 20kg," the authority said.

Some power-assisted bicycle riders were also caught for using their devices, also called electric bicycles, on footpaths, the LTA added. E-bikes are allowed only on roads and cycling paths. The authority's officers also ensured compliance with other active mobility rules such as device criteria and usage rules.

These stricter regulations came after a series of personal mobility device-related accidents here, in which pedestrians were injured and a 65-year old cyclist killed.

Under the new rules, users of e-scooters are banned from riding on the 5,500km of footpaths in Singapore. This means that the use of e-scooters, which are already banned on roads, are confined to 440km of cycling paths.

Bicycles and personal mobility aids such as motorised wheelchairs will continue to be allowed on footpaths, cycling paths and park connectors. But the footpath ban will progressively be extended to other motorised PMDs in the first quarter of this year, including hoverboards and unicycles.