(Nov 4): Singapore plans to ban electric scooters from riding on footpaths in the city-state, starting tomorrow, citing a string of injuries when motorised scooters have collided with pedestrians.
Singapore will fine people who ride their e-scooters on footpaths up to $2,000 or three months in jail or both, Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min said in Parliament Monday. The city state says it will operate in an advisory period until the end of this year before the new rule is more stringently carried out.
E-scooters have become a popular option for commuters in a city-state that’s one of the most expensive places in the world to own a car. With the cost of a Toyota Prius topping US$100,000 here, delivery companies and commuters have prompted a surge in demand.
Yet with widespread adoption has come a string of injuries, including at least one death. In September, a 20-year-old e-scooter rider was arrested after a collision, which left a 65-year-old cyclist in a coma from which she ultimately died. There have also been fire hazard worries after some caught fire while charging at home.
Singapore’s ban shows how governments are having to adapt and form new rules as new innovations such as e-scooters and e-bikes threaten to disrupt urban transportation means that authorities have regulated for decades. Japan, France and several US cities have banned their use on footpaths or are mulling bans entirely.
“We expected the co-sharing of footpaths to be challenging,” the minister said, adding that the government had hoped e-scooter users “would be gracious and responsible. Unfortunately, this was not so.”
E-scooters in Singapore were already banned from roadways and, while they will still be allowed on cycling paths, the move will effectively curb their usage for many commercial clientele. The government says it will work with food delivery companies like Grab, Deliveroo and FoodPanda to switch their delivery drivers who use e-scooters to bikes and motorcycles.
