If you own an E-scooter, you’ve probably been a little grouchy as of late.
After the Personal Mobility Device (PMD) ban in November, PMD riders have tried riding on grass patches, drains, and even shelters to circumvent the new rule.
But then the government came down on these riders hard, threatening them with hefty fines and even jail terms.
So, some of them resorted to more drastic measures.
One incited violence against pedestrians on Telegram, and another called for a car ban after the horrific Lucky Plaza accident.
Yes, it’s not a great time to be a PMD rider. But that might all change in a few years, thanks to a new cycling path network.
S’pore To Expand Cycling Network To 1,300KM Earlier ‘By A Couple of Years’
The government is looking to speed up the expansion of the proposed cycling network in an effort to give e-scooter riders more space after the PMD ban.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min said that over $1 billion will be needed to triple the 440km of cycling paths in the country.
All because of some grumpy PMD riders? We should have made a bigger fuss when they banned chewing gum.
Dr Lam had earlier announced plans to expand the cycling network to 750km by 2025 and about 1,300km by 2030.
But, as you know, many PMD riders went beserk after the ban, so the government is aiming to bring this forward by a couple of years.
Ban affected food delivery riders
While the backlash against the ban does seem excessive, one can sympathise with some PMD owners like food delivery riders, whose livelihood depends on the speed of their deliveries.
E-scooters are now restricted to the 440km of cycling paths, instead of the 5,500km of footpaths previously available.
So, it’s basically impossible to do food deliveries on your E-scooter unless your customer lives in the park.
And other PMDs like hoverboards and unicycles could also be confined to cycling paths if a proposed Bill is passed into law next month, so you may not even be able to deliver food on one giant wheel if you were planning to.
Prioritise E-scooter riders
That’s why Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will prioritise towns with high e-scooter populations when building the new cycling paths.
National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said a large part of the park connector network (PCN) will be sub-divided into footpaths and shared paths.
“Where there is sufficient width in the PCN, NParks will also implement physical separators such as grass verges between the footpaths and shared paths,” Mr Wong said.
So, if you’re a PMD rider who’s itching to grace the streets of Singapore with your device, I’d urge you to wait a couple of years, unless you want to be fined $2000 or go to jail.
