Speech by Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Baey Yam Keng at MOT Committee of Supply 2022 to Make Every Journey a Safe and Inclusive One

1.     Mr Chairman, Minister Iswaran spoke about our plans to transform Singapore into a resilient, sustainable and inclusive transport hub. To support a shift towards greener choices, I am going to cover the two transport modes that have the lowest carbon emission: active mobility and public transport. In particular, I will share how we will continue to invest in both the “hardware”, and “heartware”. 

Ensuring a safe and inclusive active mobility landscape for all 
 
Enhancement of connectivity    

2.     First, Mr Ang Wei Neng, Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim and Ms Poh Li San will be pleased to hear about our efforts to enhance our cycling path network.  
 
3.     Despite the pandemic, we have accelerated the plans for the Islandwide Cycling Network.  These are not easy infrastructure projects, especially in mature towns where there is little space on the sidewalk and various utilities underground. The cycling network is around 500km long today. We will grow it to 800km in the next two to three years, and eventually reach our target of around 1,300km in year 2030. This will greatly improve convenience and connectivity both within and between towns. A good example of connectivity within a town is Bukit Panjang, where LTA is on track to complete 7km of cycling paths this year. By then, residents can cycle to Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre for lunch, continue to Zhenghua Community Club for activities, and then to Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub to take a bus or train.

4.     Active mobility users and pedestrians will also enjoy the perks of improved connectivity between towns. Once the North-South Corridor is completed, it will connect to the park connector network and local cycling paths within HDB towns along the entire corridor. Someone living in Woodlands can cycle along dedicated paths all the way to work or play in the Rochor area. This will allow more convenient inter-town travels.

5.     We will also increase the number of end-of-trip facilities. Today, we have about 27,000 bicycle parking lots at public transport nodes. We will provide 3,000 more at MRT stations by 2025. We are encouraging workplaces to provide such facilities through the Active Commute Grant, and have awarded the grant to 14 workplaces so far. We hope that more workplaces will make good use of this grant when the next round of applications open this year. 

Enforcement and Public Education 

6.     Next, like Mr Dennis Tan suggested, education and enforcement of our rules must go hand in hand. 

7.     To reduce the risk of severe accidents, we have put in place regulations that are reviewed regularly with the support of the Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP) in consultation with the public. Over the years, we have imposed speed limits on paths, and set restrictions on the weight and size of devices.

8.     At the start of this year, to enhance safety of on-road cycling, we introduced a guideline on safe passing distance between motorists and cyclists, and a new rule to limit cycling group size on roads. However, we heard the desire of cyclists to cycle in larger groups. I am happy to share that we intend to conduct a trial to provide dedicated cycling space along West Camp Road in Seletar on Sunday mornings. More details will be shared at a later date.  

9.     We have stepped up enforcement efforts to deter errant riders since the ban of e-scooters on footpaths in 2019. We have also leveraged technology to identify hotspots for enforcement, many thanks to public feedback from the MyTransport app. Notably, the number of off-road accidents involving active mobility devices has decreased by 40% since 2019.  

10.    To ensure riders of personal mobility devices (PMDs) and power-assisted bicycles are familiar with active mobility rules, we have introduced mandatory theory tests.   

11.    To date, close to 31,000 riders have passed the tests,a significant number considering that we have a population of about 40,000 registered devices. At the same time, like Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Dr Shahira Abdullah pointed out, public education is key.  LTA and the Traffic Police are working together to raise awareness among cyclists and motorists through campaigns, and we are also looking to incorporate these materials into the driving theory test curriculum.  

Culture Building and Next Bound of AMAP 

12.    Third, an inclusive active mobility system requires a gracious and responsible community, underpinned by clear and forward-looking regulations.

13.    Since 2016, the AMAP — led by Minister of State (MOS) Muhammad Faishal — has played an important role in building a safe and gracious active mobility landscape.  The AMAP strikes a balance among the many competing needs of different users in consultation with the public. I thank MOS Faishal for his leadership over the past six years.

14.    As the new AMAP Chairman, I would like to share two key priorities for this new term. First, we will stay ahead of emerging trends that could shape the active mobility landscape. For instance, we will review the use of devices such as cargo bikes, and trikes, which have gained popularity overseas and are starting to enter the local market. We will also review the safe use of recumbent bikes and personal mobility aids. 

15.    Second, we will continue to strengthen our engagement and education efforts to collectively build a safe and gracious culture on our paths and roads.  Many stakeholders have responded positively in partnering us. For instance, public bus operators have emphasised to their bus captains the importance of defensive driving and keeping a lookout for road cyclists. Earlier this year, a few cyclists from the Singapore Cycling Federation tried out bus simulators to better appreciate the perspective and challenges of bus captains. Last year, LTA also launched a new Confidence on Wheels program to equip active mobility riders with practical riding skills and to promote safe riding habits. 

16.    We will build on the momentum set forth by the AMAP to expand and deepen our partnerships with the community.    

Towards an inclusive public transport system 

Infrastructure enhancements for a more inclusive commuting experience  

17.    Next, I will share about our progress towards an inclusive public transport system. Let me start with our efforts on thoughtfully designed hardware for three groups of commuters.  

18.    First, to better support communication between commuters and public transport staff, we are working with the Singapore Association for the Deaf to introduce a visual communication tool in all MRT stations and bus interchanges by end 2022. This tool contains pictures and keywords that commuters can point to, so that public transport staff understand their needs more easily. Besides the deaf or hard-of-hearing community, this should also be useful to commuters who have other communication difficulties.   

19.    Second, we have installed the Hearing Enhancement System at Passenger Service Centres, starting with those at the Thomson-East Coast Line. The system reduces background noise so that commuters with hearing aids can communicate better with station staff. 

20.    Next, the elderly group.  With an ageing population, conditions such as dementia will likely be more prevalent. Hence, we are working with public transport operators to list all public transport nodes as Dementia Go-To-Points by end 2022. More than 5 million trips are made on public transport every day. We hope that the millions of eyes and ears can help to look out for people who show signs of dementia and are lost.  Members of public can bring them to these Go-To-Points and enlist the help of our staff who are trained in dementia awareness. Everyone can do a part to help commuters with dementia who lose their way to be reunited with their loved ones quickly.  

21.    The third group is families with young children.  We currently have baby care rooms at all interchange stations at the Thomson-East Coast Line and 60% of our bus interchanges. I am happy to announce that all new bus interchanges and all stations on the Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line stations would each have a baby care room. In addition, families travelling with young children in strollers will find it more convenient now that stroller restraints are installed on all public buses. 

Building a gracious and caring commuting culture  

22.    To achieve a truly inclusive public transport system, we must also cultivate our heartware. Tasked with this mission, the Caring SG Commuters Committee has collaborated with partners on various initiatives, such as by engaging different profiles of commuters on the ground, including those with invisible disabilities. I would like to urge all of us to adopt four caring behaviours in our daily journeys – Give Time, Give Care, Give a Hand, and Give Thanks. 

23.    How else can we play a part in this journey? We can become Caring Commuter Champions to better assist commuters in need.  Since its launch in December 2020, more than 500 people have signed up as volunteers. One of them is Ms Ashley See.  For her university’s final year project, Ashley had researched about wayfinding for persons with visual impairment. She has benefited from the Champions training on how to assist other profiles of commuters. As a Champion, she hopes to encourage people to lend a helping hand to others.   

24.    While the Committee has laid a good foundation, all of us must play our part.  Moving forward, the Committee will deepen stakeholders’ involvement at the individual, enterprise, and community levels to facilitate more ground-up initiatives.  

25.    Mr Chairman, allow me to say a few words in Mandarin.  

26.    我们不遗余力地打造一个具包容性的公共交通系统，以便让公共交通成为大家出行的首选交通工具。这些年来，我们改善了许多设施，让所有的乘客，包括残疾社群、聋哑人士、乐龄长辈，以及携带儿童出行的家长，能够更轻便地乘搭公共交通。 

27.    然而，打造具包容性的公共交通系统不仅需要完善的基础设施，我们也必须培养充满关爱与温馨的通勤文化。只要我们在使用公共交通时多对他人给予耐心、展现关怀、伸出援手和表达感激，大家都能为彼此带来更美好的通勤体验。 

Conclusion 

28.    Mr Chairman, people are at the heart of what we do, in connecting people, places, and possibilities through our different transport modes. We will continue to invest in both our hardware and heartware. I urge everyone to play our part towards a gracious culture to spin wheels of virtuous cycles that will make every journey on our paths and public transport a safe and inclusive one for all.