The Land Transport Authority (LTA) launched a nation-wide public consultation exercise in July this year to gather views on rules and norms for safe and harmonious sharing of paths. LTA has since completed a nation-wide survey, and is garnering deeper insights through a series of focus group discussions. The Active Mobility Advisory Panel, chaired by Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Social and Family Development, and convened in July this year, will take into account the feedback received to draft a set of recommended rules and norms for safe and harmonious sharing of paths. The rules and norms are expected to be ready in 2Q2016.

Majority of survey respondents are open to sharing paths

2. The nation-wide survey, conducted online from 30 July to 31 August 2015, received more than 5,000 responses from a diverse group of respondents which include pedestrians, cyclists, users of personal mobility devices¹ and motorists.

3. The findings show that the majority of respondents are open to sharing footpaths or cycling paths with different user groups. The key findings from the survey are as follows:

Sharing on Footpaths

• 2 out of 3 respondents are open to sharing footpaths with cyclists and non-motorised personal mobility devices;
• 1 out of 2 respondents are open to sharing footpaths with motorised bicycles and motorised personal mobility devices.

Sharing on Cycling Paths and Park Connectors

• 7 out of 10 respondents are willing to share cycling paths and park connectors with motorised bicycles and motorised personal mobility devices.

Sharing on Roads

• 7 out of 10 motorists are open to sharing road space with cyclists.

4. Respondents also provided constructive suggestions on how we can share paths safely and harmoniously. For instance, respondents suggested that those which are faster moving, such as bicycles and personal mobility devices, should travel at moderate speeds and slow down when passing pedestrians. Pedestrians also have a role to play by being more aware of their surroundings instead of looking down at their mobile phones. Please refer to the Annex for more details.

Experiential Focus Group Discussions allow participants to consider alterative perspectives

5. LTA has invited interested survey respondents to participate in focus group discussions and share more detailed discussions about their experiences and views. These discussions will take place from mid-November to December 2015, to engage various stakeholder groups, such as seniors, youths, pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and users of personal mobility devices. Members of the Active Mobility Advisory Panel will also be present to hear the views shared by participants.

6. Participants will go through an experiential role-playing segment where they will assume different roles, such as being a pedestrian, a cyclist or a user of personal mobility device. The objective is to consider the perspectives of different user groups, and will help to facilitate more in-depth and meaningful discussions on the appropriate rules and norms to facilitate safe and harmonious sharing of paths. Other topics that may be discussed include where different devices should be allowed, and how to further encourage safe behaviour along shared paths and at specific locations such as bus stops and signalised traffic crossings, where there is a higher chance of conflict.

7. The Advisory Panel will review the findings of the online survey and the focus group discussions before submitting its recommendations for the rules and norms. The report is expected to be ready by 2Q2016.

¹ Personal mobility devices include devices such as kick scooters, unicycles, skateboards, and hover boards, and they can be both motorised and non-motorised.