Are electric scooters and PMD as safe to ride as bicycles? II

Abstract

The increase in Personal Mobility Device (PMD) usage in Singapore, brought about by the Land Transport Authority’s commitment to improving Singapore’s last-mile connectivity infrastructure and supporting personal automobile alternatives and greener options, has brought about increased accident rates and unstudied safety factors regarding PMD and bicycle riding. This study seeks to determine the vibration safety comparability of PMDs, specifically Power Assisted Bicycles (PAB), and conventional bicycles by investigating factors that would cause increased levels of vibration and potentially vibration induced harm. Vibration analysis will be done on two conventional bicycles and two PABs with different characteristics on multiple surface types common in Singapore. Results from the recorded data show that lightweight bicycles experience higher Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV) levels, while environmental factors such as pavement markings, manhole covers, and rougher surface types increased the values too. The results also confirm the increase in HAV of about 20% with increased riding speed. The differences in vibration levels, and consequently comfort, will aid decision making regarding future infrastructure plans and regulations on bicycles and PABs. Regardless, all HAVs calculated and referenced to 8-hour periods, also known as A(8), were well below well-known vibration safety standards such as the Daily Exposure Action (DEA) and Daily Exposure Limit (DEL) values used in Europe.