Seems like the Land Transport Authority is clamping down hard on cyclists, e-bike and e-scooter users, with over 700 of them caught for reckless riding since May. This no-no behaviour includes riding power-assisted bicycles on footpaths, cycling at night without turning on the bike lights and not giving way to pedestrians.
All this is part of LTA’s attempt to ready the public for new laws on riding, which will come into play in the following months. So enforcement officers have been sent on over 400 deployments across the island, going from HDB blocks to industrial estates, to watch out for these types of careless behaviours and distribute educational pamphlets on road safety measures.
One frequently-occurring action is the mistake of not slowing down when approaching bus stops; another is the danger of not giving way to pedestrians.
Although some reckless riders are given mere advisories, those who ride e-bikes on footpaths or those who have modified their e-bikes have been issued summons, as these are offences under existing laws.
Apparently, the LTA has detected several hotspot areas in HDB and industrial estates — these places are often near bus stops or traffic junctions, and host huge numbers of cyclists, e-bike and e-scooter users, and pedestrians daily. So be on the lookout for LTA officers, as they will pop by hotspots occasionally to make sure things are going smoothly.
