As cycling becomes more popular in Singapore, efforts have been made to expand the number of bicycle paths.

Sadly, in several places, this effort has fallen short in terms of safety.

In countries with long-established traditions of cycling, bicycle paths run separate from the roads but alongside them, leaving pedestrian paths farthest away from motorised traffic.

In Singapore, however, there are many places where the pedestrian path is next to the road and the bike path is farthest away.

This creates a situation where pedestrians - especially grandparents out for a walk with young and restless grandchildren - are exposed to traffic, and people exiting shops and residences may be in the path of on-coming bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters.

Establishing national guidelines promoting the placement of bike paths next to roads would be a welcome first step towards reducing these safety risks.

Existing paths can be easily re-labelled to achieve this goal.

This would contribute to enhanced safety for cyclists and pedestrians alike.

Timlen Thomas John