Bicycles with Long Handlebars Not Allowed on Footpaths

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether any action is taken to ensure that owners of bicycles with handlebars exceeding 700-millimetre length are made aware that such bicycles are not allowed on footpaths and walkways; and (b) whether owners are given reasonable opportunity to change their handlebars without their bicycles being impounded immediately when they are found on footpaths and walkways.

After extensive public consultation in 2015, the Active Mobility Advisory Panel recommended that bicycles used on public paths be subject to a maximum width of 700 millimetres (mm). This is to ensure that there is sufficient space for cyclists to pass other path users, including individuals in wheelchairs, safely on footpaths that may only be 1.5 metres wide. This width limit has been widely publicised by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) since 2016 through numerous platforms, including videos, posters and banners. LTA also works with retailers, interest groups and Active Mobility Patrol volunteers to reach out to the public about this width limit. Participants in the Safe Riding Programme developed by LTA and the Singapore Road Safety Council are also informed of this width limit.

It is an offence to use a non-compliant bicycle on public paths, and bicycle owners should proactively ensure that their bicycles are compliant before using them on public paths. Non-compliant bicycles may be seized if they are found to be used on public paths, and users could be liable for a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment up to three months, or to both.