Singapore bans e-scooters from pavements

Senior minister of state for transport Lam Pin Min says: "This ban of e-scooters from footpaths is a difficult decision. But it is a necessary step for pedestrians to feel safe again on public paths, while still allowing e-scooters to grow in tandem with cycling path infrastructure."

A report by The Straits Times says authorities will mainly issue warnings to riders for now but will adopt a zero-tolerance approach from 2020.

The ban will confine e-scooters from 5,500km of pavements to 440km of cycling paths. It will also be gradually extended to other motorised personal mobility devices (PMD) such as hoverboards and unicycles in the first quarter of next year.

"We expected the co-sharing of footpaths to be challenging but we were hopeful that with public education, PMD users would be gracious and responsible," Min continues. "Unfortunately, this was not so."

Min emphasised that PMDs can still be used on cycling paths and park connectors. Singapore’s cycling network is expected to triple by 2030.