Zero-tolerance policy towards e-scooters on footpaths kicks in

More than 6,000 warnings were issued to e-scooter riders who were caught riding on footpaths last month, almost double the number from November, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on 31 December 2019.

The figures were released a day before a zero-tolerance policy for the offence takes effect. From 1 January 2020, those caught riding on footpaths can be fined up to $2,000, jailed for up to three months, or both.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the LTA said it will step up patrols islandwide to ensure strict enforcement of the law. "Our roving closed-circuit television cameras will continue to be deployed in different locations to augment enforcement efforts," it said.

"In addition, we also receive reports of errant Personal Mobility Device (PMD) riders from the public through the MyTransport.SG mobile application," the LTA added.

The move to ban e-scooters from footpaths here started on 5 November. It followed a series of e-scooter-related accidents around the island, one of which led to the death of a 65-year old cyclist, while other cases left pedestrians injured.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said last month that the ban came about because the current cycling infrastructure was not adequate for the unexpectedly large number of e-scooters.

There is currently a 440km network of cycling paths in Singapore. The Government has said it is looking into the possibility of speeding up plans for expanding the network to about 1,300km. Work for this was originally expected to be completed by 2030.

There were 100,000 registered e-scooters in Singapore when the ban was announced in November, but the landscape has changed significantly since. The LTA said yesterday that the number of registered e-scooters in Singapore now stands at over 75,000, a 25% drop from the figure prior to the ban.

An early disposal scheme aimed at getting owners to dispose of e-scooters that do not have the UL2272 safety certification was responsible for the drop in numbers. The scheme, which gives owners of registered e-scooters $100 for trading in the devices, has been popular after the e-scooter footpath ban kicked in.

The early disposal incentive ended yesterday, but owners will still be able to dispose of their devices for free at designated disposal points up till the end of March. The list of disposal points is available on the LTA's website.

"As at 31 December, we have received close to 30,000 applications from owners to dispose of their registered e-scooters," said the LTA. "Owners are encouraged to dispose of their non-UL2272 certified devices early to protect themselves and their neighbours from unnecessary fire risks," the LTA added.