SINGAPORE - Public views are being sought on how cyclists and users of personal mobility devices (PMD) should behave when travelling on footpaths and in crowded areas.
This includes whether they should ride more slowly than the current recommended top speed of 15kmh.
The Active Mobility Advisory Panel launched an online survey on Monday (April 2) to gather feedback on these issues, as it reviews the rules and codes of conduct which it had drawn up two years ago.
The review has been prompted by the growing use of PMDs, such as electric scooters, and the worrying incidence of mishaps involving these devices - an average of three accidents a week.
The panel's chairman, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, said in a Facebook post on Monday: "All path users - whether cyclists, PMD users or pedestrians - have a part to play to create a safe active mobility culture in Singapore."
He added: "The survey results will help us in our continued reviews."
Prof Faishal leads the 14-member expert panel, which was formed in 2015 to develop a set of rules governing the use of footpaths and cycling paths.
Noting that the Government accepted its proposal to register e-scooters last month, Prof Faishal said the panel met last week to discuss "other areas that we can review to further improve the active mobility environment in Singapore".
The panel's initial set of recommendations - which were accepted by the Government in April 2016 - was legislated later as the Active Mobility Act, which is expected to take effect later this year.
The Act spells out penalties for reckless riding and mandates that PMDs adhere to weight, speed and width restrictions, among other rules.
In coming up with the rules, the panel also took in public feedback from various channels, such as focus group discussions and an online survey involving 5,000 respondents.
The latest poll surveys respondents on several topics, such as the mandatory use of helmets for cyclists travelling on roads, how safe pedestrians feel when cyclists and PMD users ride past them, and what riders should do at road crossings.
One of the questions asks whether the recommended speed for cyclists/PMD users on footpaths should be kept at 15kmh or be reduced. Choices include a jogging speed of 8kmh; a running speed of 10kmh and a fast running speed of 12kmh.
The public have till the end of this month to submit their views for the survey, which can be accessed online at www.tinyurl.com/pathsharingsurvey
There were 110 accidents between January and September last year involving users of mobility devices such as e-scooters.
About 30 of them occurred on public paths and involved pedestrians. The rest took place at road junctions and on roads when users were illegally riding parallel to vehicle traffic.
