PROPOSAL FOR EXCLUSIVE MOTORCYCLE LANE ON EXPRESSWAYS GIVEN HIGH CASUALTY RATE AMONGST MOTORCYCLISTS AND THEIR PILLION RIDERS
Year after year, motorcyclists and their pillion riders continue to be the largest group involved in fatal accidents in Singapore. Each accident is heartbreaking for them and their family members. The problem is compounded by the fact that many of them are drawn from humble socio-economic backgrounds.
Last month, I filed a question asking the Ministry of Transport to study the feasibility of having exclusive motorcycle lanes at expressways in Parliament. I had earlier driven past an accident site involving a Grab motorcyclist on an expressway. Ambulance officers were attending to him at that point. He was, thankfully, conscious but suffered serious injuries.
Research papers indicate that in countries where exclusive motorcycle lanes are established in highways, the number of accidents involving motorcyclists fell dramatically. The width of these lanes are usually about ½ of normal lanes.
The hon. Minister for Transport, Mr Iswaran, in his response to my question, stated that in land-scarce Singapore, it is not practical to have separate lanes for each vehicle type. I agree but, respectfully, it was not my intent to suggest that. My focus was purely to protect motorcyclists and their pillion riders who are most vulnerable road users in expressways where all vehicles are travelling at much faster speeds. I do appreciate, however, the point he made about difficulties in constructing these exclusive lanes.
In my view, the current situation is not satisfactory. Motorcyclists and pillion riders were victims in 57.1% of traffic accidents and 46.7% of traffic fatalities in 2021. The road traffic fatality rate per 100,000 increased from 1.46 in 2020 to 1.96 in 2021.
We have been focusing on education for some time to improve road safety. We have imposed heavier penalties for road traffic offences. These are important initiatives moves but do not appear to have translated in moving the needle significantly enough. We need decisive action to bring down the number of casualties and fatalities amongst motorcyclists and their pillion riders. It seems to me that we should look at structural issues.
I note from the Minister’s response that I also noted from his response that his Ministry is working on various initiatives and measures t make our roads safer for the motorcyclists and pillion riders. I look forward to hearing from the Minister in due course on concrete steps that will be taken to address this sad problem.
My question and Minister’s answer may be accessed below:
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Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will consider conducting a feasibility study on the construction of exclusive motorcycle lanes along expressways to deal with the high road accident casualty rate amongst motorcyclists and pillion riders compared to other road users.
Mr S Iswaran: There are many competing uses for land in land-scarce Singapore. While we have been expanding and building new expressways over the years, these are heavily utilised. So, it is not practical for every vehicle type to have its own lane.
That said, we share the concern over the safety of riders. That is why our Government agencies work closely together and take a holistic approach to improve road safety. The Land Transport Authority (LTA), Traffic Police (TP), and the Singapore Road Safety Council (SRSC) have various outreach activities to engage key stakeholder groups annually. This includes the Singapore Road Safety Month, and the Ride Safe Campaign, which encourage all road users to do their part in making our roads safe, and motorcyclists to practise safe riding habits. Last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also enhanced the safety requirements for motorcycle helmets by increasing penalties for sellers who import or sell non-approved helmets.
Nevertheless, we recognise that motorcyclists remain over-represented in road traffic accidents. We will continue to work on various initiatives and measures to enhance and promote road safety for motorcyclists, as well as other road users.
