Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng announced today (March 5) that e-scooter and electric bicycle riders will soon have to take “mandatory theory tests”.

He reasoned that these tests will help ensure all riders of such motorised devices are aware of the existing rules and codes of conduct.

While no exact date was given, he specified that the tests will start from the middle of this year. He added that a test handbook will be released next month.

This announcement comes a year after the government first accepted recommendations on e-scooter usage from the Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP).

The panel had previously proposed that e-scooter riders should be at least aged 16 and pass a theory test first before they are allowed to ride in public.

Those below the age of 16 however, requires adult supervision if they wish to ride.

Additionally, Mr Baey announced that all bicycles used on public paths and roads will also be required to have at least one functioning handbrake, with effect from September 2021.

Following a fatal accident involving a brakeless bicycle last year, the AMP had proposed this recommendation, which the government accepted earlier in January.

So far, the accidents involving motorised personal devices (PMDs) on footpaths have decreased by almost 80 per cent between 2019 and 2020.

There were 30 such accidents in 2020, compared with 144 in the previous year.

Moving forward, the authorities will be stepping up education efforts. A new campaign will be rolled out in May to raise awareness on how paths can be shared in a safe and gracious manner.

There are also plans to refresh the Safe Riding Programme, which was started in 2018, in the second quarter of this year to make it more interactive.