Why penalise bike-sharing companies for errant parking when it’s users’ problem?

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15 town councils are soon implementing measures to ensure responsible riding, according to a Channel NewsAsia report last week.

Authorities might tow away bikes that are illegally parked and operators have to absorb the cost of retrieving and storing the bikes.

This move comes ahead of the legislation of the Active Mobility Bill that will kick in later this year.

Well, it’s about time for the authorities to address indiscriminate parking amid the burgeoning popularity of bicycle sharing in the last few months.

In some cases, bikes are left in the middle of the road, near staircases and even outside landed properties. For some Singaporeans who are used to the sight of a clean and green city, this is considered an eyesore.

To solve this parking problem, the town councils will designate bicycle parking zones (yellow rectangle boxes) for users to #parkitright.

Town councils will also add more bicycle racks but it will be paid for by the companies themselves.

These new parking zones can be found in Jurong and Tampines.

While these designated parking zones might encourage users to park the bicycles properly, should authorities penalise bike-sharing companies for irresponsible behaviour by users?

Singapore-based firm oBike said that fines would raise operational costs and affect expansion efforts.

Other firms like ofo Singapore will be introducing a one-time deposit of $39 on registration (finally!) and they are working with town councils to establish 100 preferred parking zones within HDB estates.

Instead of fining companies on the issue of errant parking, why don’t the authorities help the companies enhance the bike-sharing system?

For instance, the Government could provide some funding to help local startups like oBike to further innovate.

An idea could be to implement the geo-fencing technology which will ensure riders return the bikes to the designated areas – ofo, which is a China-based service provider is currently looking into this tech.

However, it will require cost and time to develop this technology.

If we want local firms to stay and do well in the Singapore market, we should find ways to help them compete more effectively against foreign companies.

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