In Your Opinion Podcast
Singapore footpath wars: Why reclaiming car space could solve the PMD and PMA problem
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Cracking down on able-bodied PMA riders might seem like the best way to clear up our crowded pavements, but consider whether the real solution to our transport woes lies in aggressively reclaiming car lanes for micro-mobility instead.
ST GRAPHICS: NATASHA LIEW
Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore’s social issues of the day with guests.
New rules for Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs) kicked in on June 1, slashing speeds to 6 km/h and requiring medical certificates to crack down on able-bodied riders.
But as pedestrians, e-bikes, and gig workers continue to squeeze onto narrow pavements, are we fighting over the wrong patch of concrete as Singapore embarks on a car-lite journey?
In this episode of In Your Opinion, assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong sits down with associate professor Yap Fook Fah from Transport Research Centre@NTU. They discuss why it is unsafe for micro-mobility devices to travel on Singapore’s roads, and his argument for allocating more space to transport modes that take up less room but have the capacity to ferry more people.
Yap also discusses why regulations alone won’t fix our active mobility woes, the illusion of induced demand for cars, and how aggressively reclaiming car lanes might be the ultimate, sweat-free solution to Singapore’s last-mile commute and congested feeder buses.
Highlights (click/tap above):
6:27 The mobility gap: why able-bodied commuters are using PMAs
14:07 Cars take up more space but ferry fewer people
16:30 Why fewer cars would not slow the economy
17:57 How allocating more space for cars would induce traffic congestion
26:22 How integrating micro-mobility transport could save hundreds of millions of dollars in commute time
29:42 The weather isn’t hot for the first and last mile commute
34:19 Shifting the mindsets to view roads as public space instead of car space
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH
Follow Lynda Hong on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/Gm2v
Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim
Executive producers: Danson Cheong and Lynda Hong
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