Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Electric Scooters in Singapore: Where are we at now?


Where are we at now? A fundamental question that poses an array of answers depending on the context.

It’s been awhile since I’ve penned down my thoughts and man do I miss putting ideas to words.
So let us begin.

The topic of the day is electric scooters.

In recent years, the small island of Singapore has seen an exponential hike in the number of electric scooters in the streets (where it is currently illegal to ride on the literal street/road) – No, I do not have the exact figures but if you require a figure to tell you if you need to pee then I think this really might not be your priority. With the rising costs of living, not-so-affordable for low socio-economic status COE and some might say probable soon-to-be-increased public transport costs (to maybe build fancy foldable MRT seats instead of financing more pressing issues), it is no doubt that the sufficiently educated population would take to innovations to ease their way of life.

Electric scooters are amazing marvels of engineering. Some might say they are a cross-disciplinary device that encompasses mechanical, electrical, material and even chemical engineering but of course, with great power comes great responsibility.

I feel like I am going slightly off-course here. So let’s dial it back down.

Currently, the state of affairs regarding e-scooters is as below:
1. Restrictions on weight of electric scooter
2. Restrictions on maximum speed of electric scooter
3. No riding on roads for electric scooters
4. Planned mandatory(?) registration of electric scooter in late 2018

The first question I would like to explore is “Where should we ride these devices?”
I understand that there is currently a ban in place on electric scooters that restricts these personal mobility devices to be used on roads. I am unable (lazy) to find any published material so far regarding the exact rationale that was put up for the approval of said ban and hence my following arguments will all be based on my meager knowledge of the situation and could be taken fully as satire.

As an occasional driver, I understand the pain of sharing the roads with well, anybody. LOL. Personally, I think it would be great if I’m the only car on the road and I’m sure some might agree. Let’s face it, Singapore is getting congested. Drivers have to face other drivers who might not always be proficient in driving, they have to give way to pedestrians and pesky jaywalkers, now if we add in cyclists it really puts the whole game into expert mode. With this in mind, putting electric scooters on the roads would definitely be a nightmare for drivers and mind you, they’re the ones paying those high costs (along with the bikers- don’t worry, I’ll always check my blind spots before filtering). I’m not certain how many of these policy makers commute by cars but I’m just putting it out there that if I am a driver, I’d REALLY REALLY want to be the only one on the road just so that it’s safer for EVERYBODY.

It is strange though right? That bicycles and bikers don’t seem to have a problem on the road but electric scooter riders are considered dangerous on the roads when if you think about it, the electric scooter is kind of like the in-between. Hell, I'm sure there are many unreported accidents and deaths from cyclists as well (I've got a really good joke about this my friend told me and you'd laugh but we'll all meet in hell). Sometimes I wonder if some policies were made hastily to curb pressing issues but I’m sure everybody has thought through everything. I’m sure as Singaporeans we voted for our representatives to represent us and that as a majority we chose people who understand our low socio-economic status way of life. I’m sure at least one of them have rode e-scooters (the flip-side argument is people are really busy individuals who have more pressing matters at hand). Personally, I think it might be a lot of work to put in place policies that put electric scooters on the roads.

Is the pavement really the best place for electric scooters though?
Have you ever walked and bumped into somebody or did somebody ever bump into you whilst walking? Fact of the matter is that accidents happen, regardless of mode of commute and speed. While pulling e-scooter riders off the road will tremendously decrease the potential for escooter riders to get into an accident with a vehicle, it might give to a rise in accidents on pavements instead. The likelihood of a fatal accident on pavement is somewhat lesser (I think? Totally baseless here) but are we endangering walkers now? Riding a bicycle on the road seems more risky for the cyclist than the driver in the car but it is a risk the cyclist is taking. It’s 2018 and now walking on the pavement is getting increasingly risky. As a an avid walker of pavements, I have tuned my senses to detect the low hum of the approaching electric scooter, making sure to check my blind spots before making any abrupt side steps. Gone are the days where walkers can plug in their headphones.

I am certain to a high percentage that the various electric scooter communities were consulted before a decision was made regarding this. And let’s not be ridiculous, they just put the ban in place and spent good money on posters, there is low chance this is going to be reviewed any time soon because they probably made the best decision as with all other issues.
So guys, honk as you wish in the name of safety.
Speaking of this, I literally saw just the other day, an entourage of teenagers on the devices literally shouting “EXCUSE ME! SIAM LA!” whilst riding on a semi-packed pavement, better invest in those trekking shoes, walkers walk on grass now.

Next up, “Why the restrictions on weight and speed?”
For this, we have to do a little physics.
Force = mass * acceleration
Acceleration = rate of change of velocity (or loosely, speed)

In a terrible zero-effort summary, a reduction of weight and speed would result in less force when there is an accident= SAFETY.

Of course if we do the actual physics (which I am not going to), there would probably be a myriad of unique factors that could be thrown in to derive the severity of an accident.

While the electric scooter is an amazing device, it does has its limitations that are often very rider-dependent. Say for example you put a 100kg rider on a type approved 5-inch wheel e-scooter, the rider would probably have a tough time reaching an effective speed, not even taking into consideration the speed limit.  With that instability of a toy with the occasional high curb, what are we looking to achieve? Say the same rider would like to reach an efficient speed with a stability for SAFETY, he might choose to get an electric scooter with 12-inch wheels that provides stability and with the additional weight, he would need stronger motors and a larger battery supply that all adds up to the weight just to reach an effective speed while riding. But if he dismounts, the weight of the scooter (largely due to the battery) and the freewheel speed would highly likely not meet the current criteria. If say the electric scooters remained on the roads, there is definitely a greater leeway for speed as opposed to on the pavement. Personally, I am not very certain why weight is even a concern but I believe that in-depth studies were already done prior.

Also, how is speed regulated? I heard of checks on e-scooters where individuals had their motor wheel lifted to check for freewheel speed. Is this then a governing of ability rather than execution? Why is it that we do not put an ability-based speed limit on vehicles (there are options available to do so). Is the argument that vehicles may cross borders? Well, I’ve seen riders ride across borders as well. Let’s say a person owns an e-scooter that can go up to 35km/h but he is really big-boned and can only ride up to 20km/h (which is a terribly legal snail speed), will he still be flouting rules JUST BECAUSE?

How will registration of electric scooters help?
My guess is people will find it a chore to register and will quit scooting altogether. LOL

Okay, jokes aside, one of the logical thing I could think is that this will allow tracking of user and also the eradication of a few unapproved scooters. Less scooters, less accidents, problem solved. No internet, no virus, problem solved. The way I see it, individuals who are not registered will be targeted, individuals who are not registered and get into an accident will face dire consequences, individuals who have registered and get into an accident might be disallowed from riding. These are all baseless possible outcomes but some might say that the aim is generally to keep the numbers low to a few consistent law-abiding riders.

So……………………

Where are we at now?
Sure, electric scooters are great for commuting but with the increasing number of such devices, no doubt the number of errant riders will increase (like duh-uh?). Some would consider this innovation a step in personal eco-friendly transport with low emissions but the key is really finding a set of policies that could allow for the innovation to flourish yet maintaining a set of safety standards. Let’s face it, the landscape of every facet of the world is changing. Everything is changing and we have to stay relevant and take a proactive yet far-sighted approach instead of a reactive stance.

My personal take is that an understanding of the systems in place by all users is required for co-existence of the different modes of commute. Educate even the walkers on the perspective of the riders and drivers. Accidents happen and will continue to happen. Take a step back, look at the big picture.

Really, isn’t this more a social problem more than anything else?

Hahaha, of course all that said, I’m sure the unit in charge has surveyed a group of people that would have given a large spectrum of opinions on paper and with the documents signed, we’ll just make do as we always have.

Also, I tried understanding the situation better through a local electric scooter Facebook group and LITERALLY there was zero feedback. I guess when the time comes, I’ll probably be ready, walking on the grass alongside the pavement with my helmet on.

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