Penalties for cycling on pedestrian-only paths began July 1, but people have a lot of questions

SINGAPORE: From Tuesday (Jul 1), people who were found using their bicycles on pedestrian-only paths could begin to face a fine of up to S$2,000 and/or three months’ jail time, even for first-time offenders, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) reminded the public in a social media post.

The LTA has been converting the footpaths adjacent to cycling paths into paths that only people on foot may use, for the purpose of improving safety for vulnerable pedestrians, including seniors and children.

The authority’s Active Mobility Enforcement Officers (AMEOs) and Active Mobility Community Ambassadors volunteers have been out and about since August of last year to inform members of the public concerning which path they should be using, as well as other safety guidelines.

“Only pedestrians and Personal Mobility Aid (PMA) users within their speed limit are allowed on Pedestrian-Only Paths.

While walking is allowed on cycling paths, pedestrians are encouraged to use Pedestrian-Only Paths for safety.

Path users moving at higher speeds on cycling paths should always look out for pedestrians and more vulnerable users,” the LTA added.

The announcement has given rise to a surprising number of questions from netizens who appear to be dissatisfied with the new rules, despite the added safety that many will have.

On LTA’s Facebook account, there have been over 250 comments so far.

One commenter opined that “the softer path is more suitable for the pedestrians while the hard-surfaced path is more practical for bicycles and PMDs.” He also raised the issue of people on PMAs who speed, and suggested that PMAs should be on cycling paths instead of pedestrian-only lanes, as he feels that they pose an equal threat to vulnerable pedestrians.

“Only human-assisted wheelchairs and pedestrians should be on the same path. All bicycles and (mechanical) devices should be on the other” path, he added.

Another wrote that the “abuse of PMAs by able-bodied persons is the real problem,” such as food delivery PMAs.

Others also reported problems with too-fast PMAs, leading one to comment, “I think anything on wheels except wheelchairs should be on the cyclist’s path.”

“It makes no sense at all when pedestrians can walk on a cycling path,” another wrote.

Some commenters appeared to think that part of the problem was how the new regulations were rolled out, as they found them to be unclear.

“If you really want to help people understand the new path rules and etiquette, you need to make it clearer which groups (cyclists, PMA users, PMD users) can use which paths. Right now, it just feels like a PR mess. There’s barely any proper education on pavement safety, and most people are still confused,” wrote a commenter. /TISG

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