Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Madam, footpath safety is a concern for many of my residents. Accidents often occur along footpaths due to a lack of awareness and courtesy among pedestrians, cyclists and PMD users. Some of my residents have suffered severe injuries as a result. I call on the Ministry to conduct more public safety education for all footpath users.
For instance, cyclists should be encouraged to sound their bell when they are some distance away from pedestrians to alert them of their approach and not wait until they are directly behind. Pedestrians should be educated to avoid suddenly changing direction without looking over their shoulders. Cyclists who disregard pedestrian safety should be taken to task.
By promoting a culture of mutual respect and responsibility, we can make our footpaths safer and more pleasant for everyone. This is not only a matter of convenience but also of public health and social cohesion.
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport (Mr Baey Yam Keng): Mr Gerald Giam may wish to know that we take a multi-pronged approach to shape desirable behaviours and norms among all path users. One is through targeted efforts, such as the Path Safety Programme for schools, and wider public education campaigns, like the Move Happy Graciousness Campaign.
We also work with stakeholders, such as the Singapore Road Safety Council, or SRSC, and the Traffic Police, to educate Singaporeans on path and road safety tips through posters, events and social media. The Chairman of SRSC, the Chief Executive of LTA and the Traffic Police Commander are also members of the Active Mobility Advisory Panel, or AMAP. On the ground, our Active Mobility Enforcement Officers and volunteer Active Mobility Community Ambassadors also reach out to path users and the community to promote gracious behaviour.
The Chairman: Again, I request for clarifications and responses to be short. Mr Gerald Giam.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: Thank you, Sir. Sir, many footpaths were built before bicycles and PMDs became a popular mode of transport for work and recreation. I understand that the minimum footpath widths have been widened recently from 1.5 metres to 1.8 metres. Can I ask if there are plans to widen all existing footpaths, and if so, what is the timeline for this?
Secondly, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary said that more audio announcements are going to be made to remind commuters to be more considerate. I appreciate the objective of this, but I urge the Ministry to not contribute to the din of loud announcements on MRT trains and platforms. So, can visual cues be used instead?
Mr Baey Yam Keng: When bicycles and PMAs are allowed on footpaths, we have the dimension restrictions. As mentioned earlier, PMAs cannot be wider than 70 centimetres in width. That would allow, technically, even on a 1.5-metre-wide footpath, two PMAs to cross, to use it at the same time, side by side.
Where possible, we will look at improving the infrastructure. So, as mentioned, the target of 1,300 kilometres of cycling paths, that would be even more useful as it can separate the different users. At the same time, we also need all users to be gracious and look out for one another – cyclists, riders and pedestrians. I think it was Mr Giam who talked about having to look out, even pedestrians, to make sure that they do not just keep on looking at their mobile devices while walking. This is where everyone can play a part so that our public paths are safe for all users.
On the Member’s second question about the audio announcements, we play these at MRT stations and the 2,000 buses with speakers. For the buses especially, it is not something that is on the loop, playing every few minutes. For those with specific messages to encourage commuters to give way to wheelchair-bound passengers or to give way when there is an elderly boarding the bus. When the Bus Captain sees a vulnerable commuter boarding the bus, that is when the Bus Captain will play the audio announcement, so it will be timely and a reminder to fellow commuters to look out for others.
Ministry of Transport
5 March 2024
https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/#/sprs3topic?reportid=budget-2377
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 