Measures to Enhance Road Safety Apart from Licensing Cyclists

3 Ms Poh Li San asked the Minister for Transport in enhancing road safety, what other measures can the Ministry consider besides licensing cyclists.

4 Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Transport given that cyclists are more vulnerable on the roads, how can it be ensured that (i) cyclists are protected against inconsiderate and reckless drivers and (ii) the rights of both cyclists and motor vehicle drivers are deconflicted.

The Senior Minister of State for Transport (Mr Chee Hong Tat) (for the Minister for Transport): Speaker, may I have your permission to answer Question Nos 3 and 4 together?

Mr Speaker: Yes, please.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Thank you, Sir. Sir, more people have taken up cycling since the pandemic started. This is a good development, as cycling is a convenient, environmentally friendly and healthy way to travel. The key is to ensure safety – safety for different groups of road users.

Where possible, we will separate bicycles from motor vehicles by providing cycling paths. We are building more cycling paths, within and between towns, from about 460 kilometres today to more than 1,300 kilometres by 2030.

However, it is not always possible to have separate paths for motor vehicles and bicycles. There will be many instances and locations where motorists and cyclists have to share the same road space. To enhance road safety, it is important to have clear rules for motorists and cyclists, and for everyone to follow these safety rules.

For on-road cyclists, there are existing rules under the Road Traffic Act which they must follow. For example, cyclists must comply with all traffic rules, such as adhering to traffic light signals and avoiding the use of expressways and tunnels. They should also ride as near as possible to the far-left edge of the road. This means they should keep to the left on the leftmost lane unless they are turning right or making a U-turn. On single-lane roads, cyclists are required to ride in a single file, so they do not obstruct passing vehicles.

The majority of cyclists follow the safety rules. But there is a minority of errant cyclists who use their mobile phones while riding, refuse to stop at red lights, ride in the middle lane of a major road, including expressways where bicycles are prohibited, and some of them react aggressively when they are called out for their actions. We will enforce against such behaviours. Errant cyclists can face up to a $1,000 fine and a six-month jail term for the first offence, with higher penalties for repeat offenders.

There are also motorists who drive recklessly and endanger the lives of others, including cyclists, and we will take enforcement actions against them too. We should bear in mind that cyclists are more vulnerable than those travelling in motor vehicles. The Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP) will review ways to raise awareness amongst motorists on how to share road space safely with cyclists and other users.

Ultimately, there needs to be more graciousness, consideration, as well as give and take on the roads. Other countries have done it and I believe so can we. Beyond enforcement, the more enduring solution is public education. In his written Parliamentary Question, Mr Dennis Tan asked if we have a public education campaign on safe practices for cyclists and pedestrians. Since 2018, LTA has offered the Safe Riding Programme (SRP). This is a voluntary education programme that is free of charge, with both theory and practical components for all active mobility device users, including cyclists. LTA is revamping the SRP and will work with Traffic Police to reach out to road users and encourage public participation. We intend to roll out the new SRP in the next few months.

AMAP is also reviewing if our safety rules need to be strengthened and whether existing penalties need to be increased. For example, it is studying suggestions from the public on whether cyclists should be required to ride in a single file at all times on the roads and if there should be limits on group sizes for on-road cycling.

On whether to license on-road cyclists, there are mixed views from the public. Some are in support of licensing, so that errant cyclists can be more easily identified and punished. Others have expressed concerns that licensing on-road cyclists will increase compliance costs and affect the livelihoods of Singaporeans who are using their bicycles for work and commute. AMAP will adopt a fair and balanced approach in doing its review by consulting widely and hearing from different groups of stakeholders.

Most jurisdictions, like the Netherlands and Denmark, do not license cyclists. Vienna licenses children aged 10 to 12 who ride alone on roads, to ensure they are educated with road traffic rules, but adult cyclists are not required to have a licence. Tokyo requires bicycles to be registered, but the purpose is to deter bicycle theft and not to enhance road safety. Beijing used to register bicycles too, but decided to abolish the scheme in 2004 as they found it to be costly and ineffective.

AMAP will review the practices in overseas jurisdictions and study the different options and trade-offs carefully before finalising its recommendations.

Sir, road safety is a collective effort by the community, requiring each of us, all of us, to play our part. Beyond reviewing the safety rules and penalties, I urge all road users to drive and ride safely, be considerate to one another and, in doing so, make our roads safer for everyone.

Mr Speaker: Ms Poh Li San.

Ms Poh Li San (Sembawang): Thank you, Speaker. I thank the Senior Minister of State. It is good to know that MOT does not intend to license cyclists. I have one supplementary question on enhancing safe cycling in Singapore. PCN and cycling paths across the whole of Singapore will take time to build. Can LTA embark on selective improvements to infrastructure that can enhance safety? For instance, widening of existing shared paths that are already too narrow and also adding more signages and markings on roadways, especially at road stretches with typically higher cyclist traffic and also junctions with blind spots.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Sir, I thank Ms Poh for her supplementary questions. First, to clarify, AMAP is currently still doing its review. It has not come to any landing point at this moment. It is studying carefully the different options and trade-offs.

What I shared earlier in my main reply was to highlight some of the practices in overseas jurisdictions where they do not license cyclists or bicycles, but they have other ways of improving road safety. So, we do need to look at these carefully. I believe where Ms Poh and some members of the public are coming from is that licensing may seem like an attractive idea to improve road safety, but, in practice, and based on the experiences in other countries, whether that is, indeed, an effective way or are there other more effective ways, that is something AMAP is carefully studying.

Sir, I agree with Ms Poh that while we look at how to expand our cycling paths, our Park Connectors, in the meantime, there are also other ways to improve the infrastructure, to improve road safety in our towns for all users. Just to give an example, in Toa Payoh, where I am looking after the town, we are working together with LTA, PUB and also the other agencies to cover up some of the open drains and convert them into wider footpaths. And in doing so, as Ms Poh pointed out, there will be more space for different groups of road users: pedestrians, cyclists. This is an important effort that must be complemented by users putting safety as a priority. The footpaths may be wider, but you must still ride safely and you must still look out for bicycles, other devices and other pedestrians when you are walking along these footpaths.

At the end of the day, I think what is most important is a combination of good infrastructure but also safety consciousness, placing priority on safety for all users.

Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar): I thank the Senior Minister of State for that sharing. The most important was on public education and I totally agree with the importance of public education. Would the Ministry consider conducting safety lessons in schools? That is one of the early touchpoints where we can educate our children. But most importantly, in that context, would the Ministry consider working closely with MOE to inculcate this, put it into the curriculum so that our students are given better ideas of safety and road safety in the future?

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Sir, I am unable to answer on behalf of MOE on this point. But I just wanted to highlight that, currently, Primary school students do go through activities to teach them about road safety. There is also a collaboration with Traffic Police and LTA to bring our students to the Road Safety Park and to expose them to different aspects of road safety. I think this is something which requires continuous reinforcement along the way.

I am not sure whether we want to put it into the curriculum because the curriculum is already, I think, very heavy with different content. This is something which we can find other ways of raising awareness, not just with students but also with other groups of road users. I mentioned earlier the Safe Riding Programme. LTA is working on this with Traffic Police and I hope that when the revised programme is ready, we can encourage the public to participate in this.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio): I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply to my question. I wanted to find out whether it is possible for the deployment of Auxiliary Police officers to help educate cyclists and motorists at this moment and pending the review and improvements to the infrastructure. I have noticed that in certain areas where cyclists like to go to, they normally cycle in a group and occupy the entire left lane. It is causing danger to themselves and also to motorists on the roads. Often, I find there are arguments as to who has the right to the lane.

I agree with my colleagues who spoke earlier; I think education is key. And so, pending the review, is it possible for LTA to look at public education and enforcement, to make sure all cyclists keep in one single row —

Mr Speaker: Please keep the preamble short.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: Yes, thank you. And just to keep to the extreme left lane.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mr Speaker, Sir, I agree with Mr Gan that education and enforcement need to go hand in hand. That is what we have been doing.

Mr Gan may be aware that we have been enforcing adherence to safety rules. And this is a joint effort by Traffic Police and LTA. We do need to recognise as well that when cyclists are on the road, they are more vulnerable compared to those who are travelling in motor vehicles. I also urge drivers to bear in mind that if you are driving past cyclists, please remember that they are more vulnerable on the roads. And I think it is important to also remember that the current rule on a multi-lane road is that it is not against the rule for cyclists to ride on the left-most lane but riding two abreast. They need not be in a single file. This is the current rule. They are only required to ride in a single file if they are riding on a road with a single lane. That is mainly to prevent obstruction to traffic. But on a multi-lane road, and if they are riding on the left-most lane, they are currently allowed to ride two abreast.

There are some on-going discussions with different groups of stakeholders on whether this is a good practice or not.

From one perspective, it does help to enhance safety for the cyclists. I think some cyclists also agree that the group should not be too big, but they say if they are riding in a reasonably sized group, the cars that are driving past, treat this group as though they are one slow moving vehicle. You pay more attention to looking out for them, being more aware of their presence on the road. There are some valid reasons as well why this rule is currently crafted.

But as I have said earlier, AMAP is reviewing, they are looking at the trade-offs. And I think they would consult widely with different groups of stakeholders before coming to the final recommendation.