Speech by Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and Ministry of Transport Mr Baey Yam Keng at the Active Mobility Patrol (AMP) Networking Event

Active Mobility Patrol volunteers,
Active Mobility Advisory Panel members,
Ladies and Gentlemen, 

1.     A very good morning to all of you. After a hiatus of two years, I am glad we’re able to organise a physical event to thank our volunteers, and for everyone to come together to share, learn and network with each other. 

Active Mobility as a Greener Way to Travel 

2.     Today, land transport accounts for 15% of carbon emissions in Singapore, and we have ambitious plans to make a significant reduction on transport related emissions. Active mobility, such as walking and cycling, is the most sustainable mode of travel, and is thus a key strategy for Singapore to achieve our sustainability goals. For individuals, active mobility is a healthy and environmentally friendly way to move around, and one way we can each do our part to combat climate change. 

3.     The COVID-19 pandemic has given active mobility a boost. I am glad to see that more people are walking and cycling, whether for recreation or commuting. 

4.     To further support the growing Active Mobility culture within the community, we are investing in three areas of work: 

a.     One, expanding the cycling infrastructure under the Islandwide Cycling Network (ICN) programme. Just last month, LTA completed 14.5km of new cycling paths in Ang Mo Kio, Bishan and Toa Payoh towns. We will continue to expand the cycling network to all towns, from around 500 km of cycling paths today to reach 1,300 km of cycling paths by 2030.

b.     Two, putting in place regulations and enforcement actions to deter errant and unsafe behaviour. They are important to ensure safety on our paths and roads, and they go hand in hand with education to inculcate and shape positive behaviour in the long term.

c.     The third area is building a gracious path-sharing society where, you, our volunteers, play an important role in making this work. As volunteers, you have found different ways to champion safe path sharing and reinforce the safe riding message. For example, beyond walkabouts, the teams initiated various outreach efforts such as giving out printed advisories to residents and organising cycling events to educate and reach out to cyclists. Let me share an example – the Marine Parade team organised a Confidence on Wheels session last month, as part of their constituency’s children’s day event, to teach children about safe riding practices. The parents joined the session and played an important role in inculcating good behaviours in their children, and I’m happy to hear that the parents and children who attended the event found it useful. 

5.     Our efforts over the past few years have helped to enhance safety on our paths. The number of active mobility-related accidents on public paths, and fire incidents, have halved over the last two years. This is good news. 

Rebranding of AMP to AMCA 

6.     I would like to thank all our volunteers for helping to make our paths safer over the years, within your community. Many of you have been with us since the inception of the Active Mobility Patrol scheme in 2016, And we deeply appreciate your support and service through these years. 

7.     Given your contributions, the name “Active Mobility Patrol” does not adequately reflect the broader role that you play in engaging the community and serving as ambassadors for the safe and gracious sharing of our paths. It is timely that we refresh the name of the scheme. 

8.      I am pleased to announce that the Active Mobility Patrol will be renamed as Active Mobility Community Ambassadors (AMCA). 

9.      I understand from LTA colleagues that most of you picked this name, AMCA, in a poll that was conducted at last year’s virtual Cluster Networking Sessions, as one that you identify and resonate with. 

Launch of AMCA playbook 

10.     To support your continued efforts, LTA has put together a playbook that shares best practices and ideas in your community outreach, which will be sent to the respective AMCA teams. 

11.     To highlight an example from the playbook, the Bukit Batok AMCA team set up a cycling interest group to connect with residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before each cycling trip, a pre-ride safety briefing was conducted to educate the group on the safe and responsible usage of paths. The cycling trips have become a monthly affair and to date, the team has reached out to a total of 150 participants. 

12.    I understand that the teams from Teck Ghee and West Coast will be sharing their experiences later, and encourage our volunteers to get creative and use today’s networking event to learn from one another. 

Growing the AMCA community 

13.    Beyond the existing pool of volunteers, given that cycling is becoming increasingly popular, we hope to recruit more volunteers to join the AMCA so that we can do more within the communities. Everyone has a part to play to make our paths and roads safer. 

14.    We are thus going to do an open call for more members of public, be it from the community or from cycling groups, to join us to be part of the AMCA. We are also happy to explore different formats for such ambassadors to do their work; it does not have to be limited to a specific constituency or community. Since cycling takes us to places beyond our own communities and onto routes that traverse different parts of Singapore, this may also become a type of roving Ambassador scheme for some.  

15.    Interested individuals and groups will be able to register their interest via an online link on LTA’s webpage. In the months and years ahead, we hope to see this community grow, and together help promote active mobility, and nurture a green, inclusive and gracious society.

16.    Once again, I thank each of you for your service, and I wish you a fruitful day ahead.