"LTA rejects call to register bikes" (THe Straits Times)

"LTA rejects call to register bikes," by Irene Tham. The Straits Times, 04 Apr 2010.

Bring back compulsory bicycle registration. The suggestion came recently from several online writers to the ST Forum, The New Paper and ST Interactive.

They said that when hit-and-run accidents occur, the police would then have better leads to nab the errant cyclists.

Mr Ace Kindred Cheong, who wrote to The New Paper, said: 'If any offences or crimes are committed by cyclists - such as hit-and-run accidents and thefts - the public will be able to provide the licence plate details and the perpetrators can be caught and punished.

'I am sure many pedestrians in Singapore do not want to share the pavements with cyclists. This is because of the risk of reckless cyclists who may accidentally knock into babies in prams, young children and the elderly.'

Another writer, Mr Allan Zheng, said: 'Allowing bicycles without number plates on roads - and footpaths - just makes it that much easier for cyclists to get away scot-free when they have knocked someone down.'

When contacted by The Sunday Times, a Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesman said: 'Having exempted bicycles from registration requirements in Singapore since 1982, its re-introduction will not only be viewed as regressive but will also unnecessarily subject bicycle owners to onerous requirements.'

Citing difficulties in enforcing bicycle registration, she added that LTA's move to do away with mandatory bicycle registration is consistent with the practice in many developed countries.

They include Britain, the United States, European Union nations, Australia and New Zealand.

'Licensing is therefore neither practical nor cost-effective,' she said.

Irene Tham