Today, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that from April 2020, it will introduce a mandatory inspection requirement for registered e-scooters in a bid to improve public safety.
Owners of e-scooters will be called up every two years for inspections to ensure that the devices “comply with device criteria for use on public paths.”
Currently, registered e-scooters must be UL2272-certified and not exceed 20kg in unladen weight, 70cm in width. Their maximum device speed must not exceed 25km/h.
Owners will receive a notice from LTA informing them to bring their devices in for inspection at one of nine E-scooter Inspection Centres (EICs).
These inspections would come at no cost to owners.
Those who fail to comply by the stipulated deadline will face fines of up to $1,000 and/or be jailed for up to three months, if convicted.
E-scooters that are UL2272-certified but do not comply with requirements during inspection will have their registration cancelled by LTA.
From 1 April 2020, all new e-scooters will be required to pass the inspection before they can be registered for use on public paths.
Retailers will be required to ensure that the device they’re selling or renting bears the requisite registration mark.
LTA is also currently studying upstream measures to tackle the issue of non-compliant PMDs more effectively.
Gov’t Might Have “No Choice But To Ban Their Usage Completely”
On a similar note, Senior Minister of State for Transport Dr Janil Puthucheary shared that the Government “shared the concerns of Singaporeans” when it came to the dangers posed by PMDs.
Headlines of PMDs catching on fire and causing fatal accidents have rattled Singaporeans in the past year.
“Many wish for footpaths to be safe for pedestrians again. We share this wish too,” said Dr Janil.
“We are determined to improve footpath safety back to levels before PMDs were allowed onto footpaths.”
Dr Janil added that recent measures such as the bringing forward of a deadline for PMDs to meet safety standards and the introduction of mandatory inspections “will be revisited to see whether the current approach needs to be rethought or additional measures introduced”.
This is in light of “heightened concerns and adverse feedback” in recent weeks.
“Please give us a month or two to do this review,” he said.
He also brought up several initiatives that are in the works now.
For example, the LTA is currently working with Members of Parliament to identify hotspots where “improvement works – such as the widening of footpaths and the installation of speed-regulating strips – can be implemented quickly”.
The development of dedicated paths for bicycles and PMDs will also be sped up, but full implementation of these enhancements “could take several years”.
Said Dr Janil: “In the meantime, we strongly urge PMD users to be extra responsible and mindful of others.”
“If their behaviour does not improve, we may have no choice but to ban their usage completely from Singapore […] This would be a loss.”
