New safe riding course for PMD users from July

SINGAPORE — From July, personal mobility device (PMD) users and cyclists will be able to take a 90-minute course on safe riding practices, which members of the public caught a first glimpse of at yesterday’s Car-Free Sunday event.

Yesterday’s session was also the first time PMD users have taken part in a preview of the Safe Riding Programme that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Singapore Road Safety Council had been piloting for cyclists since last May.

With more PMD riders sharing paths with pedestrians, the programme has been revised to make it applicable to PMD users too.

Following public feedback, the original half-day programme is now condensed into a 90-minute session and incorporates more scenario-based learning.

For instance, the authorities added simulated bus stops and zebra crossings to teach participants of the need to ride at low speeds, give way to pedestrians and dismount where necessary.

Yesterday, participants were also shown the various types of devices available and the pre-ride checks they should do. They were introduced to the type of paths different devices are allowed on, the range of signs and the general rules and code of conduct, among other things.

The training circuit also included straight and S-line courses for participants to build up their skills and confidence in handling their devices at various speeds and in various situations.

At the end of the circuit session, participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire on safe riding, such as on the maximum speed they should be riding on footpaths to MRT stations.

Speaking to reporters after it ended, LTA deputy director (Active Mobility Unit) Tan Li Yen said the authorities wanted to encourage Singaporeans to adopt active mobility “in a safe manner”. “That’s why we came up with this safe riders programme, to teach them about the types of (infrastructure) we have, the different signage — what they mean, the potential places you get into conflict with pedestrians (and) how you behave,” she said. “And also to teach them about the new active mobility rules and the code of conduct so that they’ll be able to ride safely.”

The Active Mobility Act was passed last month to regulate the use of electric bicycles and PMDs, and it will impose penalties for offences such as riding e-bikes or PMDs on pedestrian-only paths.

In the coming weeks, the LTA will call for a tender to appoint training providers to develop a pool of trainers for the programme.

To be fully subsidised for a start, the programme will be available at selected community centres, schools and worker dormitories by July.

It was to have been launched late last year, but was delayed partly owing to the time needed to take in feedback, come up with a new circuit and expand the programme to PMD riders, said Ms Tan.

Close to 100 students, migrant workers and members of the public attended the pilot sessions.

Yesterday, participant Siti Suhaila Ikhwan Soh, 35, said the programme was useful for PMD riders, for example by teaching them to dismount when passing through a crowded bus stop. The sales executive rides an e-scooter to work and to ferry her nine-year-old daughter to and from school.

Big Wheel Scooters Singapore chairman Denis Koh, one of the trainers at the preview, said the programme will raise awareness of safe riding. He had given feedback to the LTA to include PMD riders, given their growth in numbers. “An all-rounded programme would be more feasible to incorporate into the community effort,” he said.

Safe riding was also a feature at Car-Free Sunday. To educate the public on road safety around heavy vehicles, participants were allowed onto the driver’s seat in a Volvo truck parked along Connaught Drive.

They were then asked to spot coloured bicycles from the seat to show them the blind spots for heavy vehicle drivers. Heavy vehicle accidents made up 10.73 per cent of all road mishaps in 2015, according to Traffic Police figures.