The National Environment Agency's (NEA) decision to phase out motorcycles registered before July 1, 2003 came as a surprise (Owners get incentives to deregister older, more pollutive motorcycles; April 7).

It seems unfair to a number of motorcycle owners.

Enthusiasts spent a lot of money buying and upgrading their bikes.

These bikes do not qualify for classic plates, as they are less than 35 years old. But they also will not pass the tighter emission standards that the NEA is adopting.

Owners of these bikes could lose tens of thousands of dollars of value with this new ruling.

Many other pre-2003 bikes are also worth more than the $3,500 incentive the NEA is offering.

Owners should be given fair market value to take their bikes off the road.

The ruling also should not be restricted to motorcycles but apply to all, including older cars, lorries, diesel vehicles as well as Malaysian vehicles coming in to Singapore.

In addition, I hope the NEA can offer more elaboration on the statistic that motorcycles make up just 15 per cent of vehicles in Singapore but contribute to more than 53 per cent of carbon monoxide emissions from vehicles.

Shawn Low