SINGAPORE, Nov 11, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Tiny Singapore had embraced electric
scooters in a big way, but deaths and fires linked to the two-wheelers have
prompted authorities to introduce tough rules that could put a brake on their
runaway success.
The contraptions have popped up in cities worldwide but pedestrians in many
places have come to see the silent machines as menaces, and authorities have
been scrambling to regulate them.
Tens of thousands flooded Singapore, becoming particularly popular among
commuters and workers delivering food, but apartment fires blamed on charging
devices and the death of an elderly cyclist after a September collision
stoked public anger.
Last week, officials announced a ban on the trendy two-wheelers on all
footpaths.
To start with, most riders caught breaking the rule will be given a warning
but from January, offenders face being jailed for up to three months and
fined.
The move surprised observers after a panel advising the government had
recommended weaker measures, such as a mandatory theory test — and angered
some who have come to rely on the scooters.
“It is definitely over-regulation,” Venkata Goruganthu, who rode his e-
scooter to his office in the business district every day, told AFP.
“There are car accidents and people are dying, are we going to ban cars on
the streets now?”
The 41-year-old technician will now have to commute by public transport,
which will take him 45 minutes — twice as long as a scooter ride.
– ‘Reckless’ riders –
But many others approved of the effort to rein in the scooters, which now
number about 100,000 in the space-starved country of 5.7 million.
“People are not responsible, they are reckless,” Vasukie Mayandi, a 51-
year-old bank worker, told AFP.
“They feel they want to move somewhere fast, but they’re not considering
others who are using the same pathway.”
E-scooters were already banned from Singapore’s roads but they are now
prohibited on all pavements and other footpaths, and can only be used on
cycle paths and a network of routes connecting parks.
It drastically reduces the area where people can ride the contraptions —
Singapore has about 440 kilometres (275 miles) of cycle paths compared with
5,500 kilometres of footpaths. Officials, however, say cycle paths will be
extended to cover 750 kilometres by 2025.
Following the announcement, regional ride-sharing giant Grab said it was
suspending its scooter-sharing set-up in Singapore while the government said
it would reject applications by other firms hoping to start such services.
– International clampdown –
Singapore is just the latest country trying to get control of the scooters.
Last week, the French government issued new rules, including a ban on using
them on pavements — unless a city permits them in certain areas — and a 25
kilometre per hour speed limit.
Germany does not allow them on pavements while London has taken the most
extreme approach of major European cities, prohibiting the two-wheelers
entirely unless a rider has a driving licence, insurance, road tax, a helmet
and a number plate.
The hardest hit in Singapore by the new rules is the army of people using
e-scooters to deliver food across the city for companies such as Deliveroo,
Grab and Foodpanda, although authorities have taken steps to help.
On Friday, the transport ministry said the government and companies were
offering grants for e-scooter delivery riders to switch to other devices
including regular and power-assisted bicycles.
Benjamin Goh has already changed to a bike for his food delivery job — but
said his income would be affected as cycling is more exhausting, meaning he
can complete fewer orders.
“It’s very tiring for me to use a bicycle,” said the 26-year-old single
father, adding that he would also end up fatigued and potentially less
capable of caring for his young son after work.
Goh said he felt food delivery workers were being punished for the bad
behaviour of some recreational riders, but conceded: “I can understand why
people hate us.”