Wheely, LTA?
Fines are meted out when you park your vehicles on unauthorised spaces, but now, a similar penalty will be implemented for bicycles.
All 15 town councils are in the midst of developing a common set of regulations for bike sharing, parking and riding to meet with its increasing popularity here in Singapore.
Dockless bike-sharing was introduced here earlier this year – where users can rent bicycles without returning them to fixed stations. However, this has also resulted in cases of misuse and “indiscriminate parking”, where bikes are left near staircases, blocking fire escape routes and corridors.
With the three private companies, Mobike, Obike and Ofo, planning to roll out thousands more of their bicycles over the next two years, there will be a new framework to take enforcement action against reckless cyclists. This means that we no can longer drop off the bikes at wherever is convenient such as at void decks and pavements.
As part of the new framework, the town councils will designate “bike drop-off boxes” or parking zones. These parking zones are slowly popping up all over the island, and can already be seen in areas like Jurong and Tampines thanks to the tie-up between bike-sharing operators and the respective town councils.
Illegally Parked Bicycles To Be Taken Away
But here’s the catch; LTA will take enforcement action by towing away the illegally parked bicycles, leaving the bike-sharing operators to bear the cost of retrieving and storing the bicycles.
Where’s the Fairness?
Users are questioning the logic of pinning the blame on bicycle operators instead of the users themselves.
The Most Effective Move?
We’re pretty sure LTA can think of a more logical solution to combat the issue of “indiscriminate parking” – rather than at the expense of the operators.
