Singapore to use QR code to encourage responsible bike parking

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Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Tuesday that it would implement an island-wide Quick Response (QR) code parking system from 2019 to ensure that users park their shared bicycles within proper parking spaces.

The authority said in a statement that it would start to install the QR codes progressively at public bicycle parking spaces from the end of September, and would launch a public education campaign to educate shared-bicycle users on how to end their trips with QR codes in early October.

It said the QR code parking system would support LTA's efforts to encourage responsible parking through the licensing regime. In particular, those who do not park properly and scan the QR code would be charged five Singapore dollars (about 3.66 US dollars) by licensed operators.

Bicycles owned by bike-sharing company oBike are seen parked in a haphazard manner on a roadside in Singapore, July 13, 2018. /VCG Photo

Users who park any shared bicycle indiscriminately at least three times in a calendar year would be banned from using all sharing services for up to one year.

The LTA also said that it continued to improve access to bicycle parking to meet the needs of a growing local cycling community and bicycle-sharing services. The authority and its partner agencies would increase the number of public bicycle parking spaces to 267,000 by 2020 from 207,000 at present.

Besides, the LTA reiterated it would right-size the shared bicycle fleet to manage indiscriminate bicycle parking and ensure the efficient use of shared bicycles and limited parking spaces.

Some bike sharing companies said they would welcome and support the QR parking system, but there are also concerns over the burden it may place on start-ups, which "in turn means that bike sharing users will suffer," according to general manager of oBike Singapore, Tim Phang.

(Top image: VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency