Stricter rules needed for two-wheelers

I refer to this week’s Talking Point topic, “Pavement Wars”. These days, pedestrians and users of bicycles, motorised bicycles, one-wheelers, electric scooters and mobility devices for people with disabilities and elderly all compete for pavement space.

Naturally, when one does not give in there will be fights and some clashes may even result in injuries.

People know what is allowed or not allowed on pavements, but choose to flout the rules for their convenience.

For Singapore to be a cycling nation, there should be stricter laws and a code of etiquette.

These can include the licensing of motorised bicycles, as we are seeing riders use it like a motorbike, going on roads, modifying the speed, ferrying more than one pillion rider and some models are not approved by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). There should be tough enforcement measures imposed on shops selling non-LTA-approved motorised bicycles and modifying bikes for customers.

A code of conduct for cyclists should include rules such as cyclists having lights and reflectors mounted on their bicycles at night, dismounting at traffic junctions, riding with the flow of traffic and so on. Training workshops should be held to educate cyclists on the code.

Cyclists should also always give way to pedestrians on pavements and not try to chase them off, and they should not ride in groups or ride two or three abreast, encroaching onto space for other vehicles and endangering their lives and lives of motorists.

I hope more can be done, before more accidents and fatalities occur as a result of the lack of rules and enforcement.