Impact of attitude, behaviour and opinion of e-scooter and e-bike riders on collision risk in Singapore

Abstract

Active Mobility Devices (AMDs) such as electric scooters (e-scooters) and electric bikes (e-bikes) are increasingly used on shared paths and Park Connector Networks (PCNs) in Singapore, leading to frequent interactions between AMD riders, pedestrians, and cyclists. To ensure safety, it is crucial to understand the factors associated with collision risk related to these AMDs. To gain insights into the riders’ perspectives on the risk-taking behaviours and attitudes towards safety and sharing paths, a survey was conducted with 369 e-bike and 133 e-scooter riders across Singapore. The collected data was analysed to identify critical features of behaviour, attitudes, and opinions of e-scooters/e-bikes riders and their impact on perceived collision risk. Logistic Regression was used to select the most important behavioural features linked to collision risk, and significance of each was quantified by using the odds ratios in the chosen model. The results reveal that e-bike riders who regularly brake hard to avoid obstacles and highly value capacity of e-bike to carry goods face an increase in collision risk by 49.1% and 43.48% respectively. Those preferring quieter AMDs face 33.31% lower collision risk. Additionally, e-bike riders advocating for more traffic enforcement or the importance of slowing down when overtaking pedestrians face 20.69% and 38.84% lower collision risk respectively. E-scooter riders who manoeuvre quickly to dodge collisions or prioritize passenger-carrying capacity encounter a 142.25% and 67.43% higher collision risk, respectively. Furthermore, e-scooter riders willing to bend rules when not causing inconvenience to others face an increase in collision risk by 123.00%. These outcomes offer significant insights for the design and regulation of active mobility to safeguard all road users in a multi-modal transport environment.