April 02, 2021, 08:16 PM
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Temasek CEO Ho Ching took to Facebook on Apr. 2 to share her thoughts on bicycles and Personal Mobility Devices (PMD).
Bicycles should be registered
In her post, Ho explained that bicycles and PMDs should be registered, much like cars and buses.
This was seemingly in response to an earlier incident involving Tay Ping Hui and some cyclists.
She added that riders should obtain a license, similar to how drivers of trucks and vans have licenses. The registered bicycles and PMDs then should have 3rd party insurance.
Ho suggested that different classes of bicycles and PMDs should be established as we transit to "various transport modes", for instance:
- off-road and on-road
- pathway and highway
- battery-powered and non battery-powered
She also pointed out that bicycles used to be licensed in Singapore.
Bicycles in Singapore used to be licensed
In two separate posts, Ho shared how bicycles used to have license plates.
Photo via Roots
Ho said that since 1982, license plates for bicycles were no longer issued.
She added that the transport infrastructure should be rethought, and said:
The issue of licensing bicycles have been brought up sporadically over the years, with a forum letter to Today in 2008 urging the adoption of licenses to ensure "even the most errant cyclist" will behave."As we move towards an EV world, from e-PMDs, to e-bicycles, to e-cars, to e-buses and e-trucks, we should rethink the transport infrastructure needed, and proactively plan and prepare for the new world. True, change is always difficult.
But we should make a start, and having different grades of registration for vehicles, different grades of driving licences, from basic off road safety to the heavy duty vehicles - we can create a scaffolding of life skills and safety practices."
In fact, in response to a 2016 Straits Times forum letter calling for bicycle licensing, The Land Transport Authority (LTA) replied that it would not be practical to license bicycles.
Top photos via Ho Ching/Facebook and Roots
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