Bicycles, kick scooters to be banned from pedestrian-only footpaths

SINGAPORE – Footpaths situated next to more than 200km of cycling lanes will be turned into pedestrian-only paths progressively from the last quarter of 2024 in an effort to improve the safety of pedestrians, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.

With this move, bicycles and non-motorised personal mobility devices (PMDs) such as kick-scooters, which are allowed on footpaths at present, will be banned from pedestrian-only paths, LTA said on Aug 14.

To give cyclists and users of non-motorised PMDs time to adjust to the move, enforcement will start only from July 1, 2025. First-time offenders convicted of riding on a pedestrian-only path could be fined up to $2,000 or jailed for three months, or both.

Pedestrians who stray into cycling paths will not face these penalties.

After the move takes effect, only pedestrians and users of personal mobility aids, such as mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs, will be allowed on pedestrian-only paths. Personal mobility aids must observe a speed limit of 6kmh by the end of 2025, down from 10kmh.

Speaking to reporters near Block 196 Bishan Street 13 to mark the completion of the 7.7km Bishan cycling network, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said the move will make public paths safer for all users, especially pedestrians.

“The purpose is to enhance safety for our residents, especially for our seniors and young children,” Mr Chee said.

He noted that active mobility accidents have been declining since 2019, and the latest move is not because paths are becoming more dangerous. Rather, the authorities are rolling this out now because there are more cycling lanes sited next to footpaths.

LTA said there were 76 incidents in 2023, compared with 303 cases in 2019. “While the number of reported accidents has decreased, more can be done to ensure the safety of all path users,” it added.

To alert users to pedestrian-only paths, physical markings – including pedestrian logos and “pedestrians only” wording – will be imprinted on footpaths that are next to cycling paths.

LTA also urges pedestrians to stay on pedestrian-only paths for their safety.

Bicycles, electric bicycles, motorised and non-motorised PMDs, and personal mobility aids will continue to be allowed on cycling paths.

On other footpaths, bicycles and non-motorised PMDs remain permitted.

At present, Singapore has more than 600km of cycling paths and connectors. The target is to have cycling paths spanning 1,300km by 2030.

Mr Chee said that in tandem with an expanded cycling path network, footpaths running parallel to dedicated cycling lanes would at least double by that time.

Where possible, future paths will separate pedestrians from cyclists, he added.

This, though, may not always be possible because of site constraints. “In places where we can’t and there still needs to be sharing, this is where the gracious, considerate behaviour and safety awareness need to come in,” Mr Chee said.

Pedestrian-only paths are not new here. For instance, selected stretches of Singapore’s Park Connector Network, managed by the National Parks Board, segregate paths into those only for pedestrians, and shared paths.

There are about 30km of park connectors at the East Coast, Changi Beach and Pasir Panjang parks, and the Changi Bay Park Connector, that have this design.

Marketing consultant Vinita Penna, 40, welcomed the move to have pedestrian-only lanes.

The Bishan resident said she had a near-miss on a footpath on the evening of Aug 13 when a bicycle zoomed past her without warning.

Even so, she said pedestrians should do their part too. “If the rule is for cyclists not to get into the pedestrians’ path, then the same should apply to pedestrians – that they do not walk on the cycling path.”

Retired cleaner Malik Yusoff said he would likely continue to ride his mobility scooter on cycling paths, and avoid pedestrian-only paths where possible.

The 61-year-old, who cannot walk unaided after an injury in 2019, said he has encountered pedestrians who scolded him for getting in their way on footpaths.

“I am scared that if they are not happy and want to (hit) me, I cannot walk and I cannot do anything.”

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.