Active Mobility

Active mobility in Singapore covers walking and the use of bicycles, power-assisted bicycles (PABs), personal mobility devices (PMDs) and personal mobility aids (PMAs) for short trips and first- or last-mile travel. The legal answer to “can I ride here?” depends both on the device and the path type. A bicycle, e-scooter, PAB and mobility scooter are not interchangeable categories, and a route that is lawful for one device may be prohibited for another. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) regulates devices and public-path use under the Active Mobility framework, while road cycling is also subject to road-traffic rules (LTA, accessed Aug 2026).

Cycling network and path types

Singapore's active-mobility infrastructure includes dedicated cycling paths, shared paths, ordinary footpaths, Park Connector Network links and roads. LTA reported more than 730 km of cycling paths and park connectors across Singapore in 2026 and plans to expand the cycling network to about 1,300 km by 2030 (LTA, accessed Aug 2026). The network is intended to connect homes with MRT stations, bus interchanges, schools, shops and other neighbourhood destinations rather than operate as a recreational network only.

The physical path label matters. Dedicated cycling paths are commonly marked with cycling symbols and are designed for active-mobility devices moving faster than pedestrians; shared paths are explicitly shared by pedestrians and permitted devices. From 1 July 2025, LTA began converting footpaths located beside dedicated cycling paths into Pedestrian-Only Paths. Bicycles and non-motorised PMDs may not be ridden on those converted Pedestrian-Only Paths, although ordinary standalone footpaths and shared paths remain subject to their existing rules (LTA, accessed Aug 2026). A map line or red pavement colour alone should therefore not be treated as a substitute for the signs and markings on the ground.

Bicycles, PABs and PMDs are different legal categories

A conventional bicycle has the broadest range of ordinary active-mobility use: compliant bicycles may use permitted public paths and may also be ridden on roads, subject to the applicable path or road rules. A PAB, commonly called an e-bike, is more tightly regulated. LTA requires a PAB to be type-approved, sealed and registered, to display a rear registration plate, to meet the EN15194 standard, and to cut motor assistance progressively so that assistance ends by 25 km/h or when the rider stops pedalling. PAB riders must be at least 16 to ride on cycling paths or roads and must pass the mandatory PAB theory test (LTA, accessed Aug 2026).

Motorised PMDs such as e-scooters form another category. A compliant motorised PMD must meet LTA's device limits and the UL2272 fire-safety standard; registered e-scooters have identification and registration requirements, and riders must follow age and theory-test rules. Motorised PMDs are not simply “small bicycles”: LTA allows compliant motorised PMDs on cycling paths, not on footpaths, and they are not road-legal merely because they can travel at similar speeds (active mobility rules). Conversely, non-motorised PMDs such as kick scooters have different path permissions from motorised PMDs, and conventional bicycles may still use ordinary standalone footpaths under the path rules that apply to bicycles. For route planning, the safe method is to identify the exact device class first, then check LTA's current “where devices are allowed” guidance rather than generalising from another device.

Riding behaviour and road rules

All active-mobility riders on public paths have common safety duties. LTA's rules include not using mobile communication devices while riding, stopping and looking for traffic before crossing a road, dismounting where a No Riding sign requires it (except where a PMA rule provides otherwise), using a front white and rear red light in the dark, and stopping to assist and exchange particulars after an accident (LTA, accessed Aug 2026). The accompanying code of conduct asks riders to give way to pedestrians, keep left unless overtaking, slow near bus stops and path intersections, and walk devices in crowded areas.

On roads, cyclists and PAB riders face additional requirements. They must obey traffic signals, travel with the direction of traffic, wear a helmet, ride as close as practicable to the left edge, use bicycle lanes where provided, and avoid expressways, road tunnels and selected viaducts. Group-riding rules also limit the length of a group on ordinary roads. These road rules should not be imported into an e-scooter answer: permission for bicycles and PABs to use roads does not make motorised PMDs road-legal (LTA, accessed Aug 2026).

Critical perspectives: mobility aids and the 2026 rule changes

Personal mobility aids are devices intended for people who cannot walk or have difficulty walking, including manual wheelchairs, motorised wheelchairs and qualifying mobility scooters. From 1 June 2026, motorised PMAs travelling on public paths must travel no faster than 6 km/h. LTA also introduced maximum public-path dimensions of 120 cm length, 70 cm width and 150 cm height, with a maximum laden weight of 300 kg unless an applicable certified exception is available (LTA, accessed Aug 2026).

From the same date, users of mobility scooters and equivalent devices generally need a Certificate of Medical Need, subject to exemptions including seniors aged 70 and above and specified beneficiaries of government mobility or disability schemes. Retailers may sell only compliant registered mobility scooters under the first phase of the registration regime, while registration of all mobility scooters used on public paths is scheduled to become mandatory from 1 January 2029 (LTA, 3 Feb 2026). These changes also illustrate why active-mobility answers need an applicable date: a rule remembered from 2025 may already be wrong in 2026.