Design PMD Rules to Keep Elderly, Younger and Disabled Pedestrians Safe
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Christopher de Souza’s inquiry into how personal mobility device (PMD) rules ensure the safety of vulnerable pedestrians and their impact on reducing accidents. Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan explained that regulations including speed limits, device weight restrictions, and a code of conduct were developed through public consultation and are supported by strict enforcement. He noted that the Active Mobility Advisory Panel is currently reviewing footpath speed limits, helmet usage, and insurance frameworks, with recommendations due by the end of the year. The response highlighted that these policies are continually evaluated for sufficiency alongside ongoing education efforts to guide path sharing. Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan also stressed that safety ultimately depends on the individual responsibility and consideration of each device user toward others.
Transcript
43 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Transport how are the PMD rules designed to keep pedestrians, especially children, the elderly and those with disabilities, safe on walkways and parks and how effective have they been in reducing the number of accidents so far.
Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The current rules regulating the safety of our public paths were developed by the Active Mobility Advisory Panel after a large-scale public consultation exercise in 2015. These include speed limits on footpaths and shared paths, regulations against reckless riding, and restrictions on the speed, weight and dimensions of devices used on public paths. A code of conduct has also been introduced to guide cyclists and personal mobility device (PMD) users on how to share paths safely with one another. These regulations are coupled with strict enforcement and extensive education efforts.
The Land Transport Authority and the Panel will continually review if these regulations are relevant and sufficient. The Panel is currently reviewing the speed limits on footpaths, the behaviour of active mobility users at road crossings, the usage of helmets by active mobility users, and the insurance and compensation framework for active mobility. The Panel will release its recommendations by the end of the year.
Ultimately, it is also the individual responsibility of the cyclist or PMD user to have basic respect and consideration for their fellow path users. This will go a long way in ensuring that Singaporeans can continue to use and share our paths safely.