Small Motorised Vehicles (Safety) Bill

Bill No. 21/2020

Read the first time on 4 May 2020.

An Act to control the import of motorised personal mobility devices, power‑assisted bicycles and other similar motorised vehicles, and to make related amendments to certain other land transport Acts regarding the payment of moneys into the Consolidated Fund.

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement

1. This Act is the Small Motorised Vehicles (Safety) Act 2020 and comes into operation on a date that the Minister appoints by notification in the Gazette.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“authorised officer”, for any provision of this Act, means an individual who is appointed under section 17 as an authorised officer for the purposes of that provision;

“Authority” means the Land Transport Authority of Singapore constituted under the Land Transport Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 158A);

“conveyance” includes any vessel, train, vehicle or aircraft in which persons or goods can be carried;

“customs territory” means any part of Singapore and her territorial waters but excludes any free trade zone;

“export”, in relation to any goods, means —

(a)	to take or cause to be taken out of the customs territory by land, water or air to any place, including a free trade zone; or
(b)	to place goods in any form of conveyance for the purpose of taking the goods out of the customs territory by land, water or air to any place, including a free trade zone,

but does not include the taking out from the customs territory of any goods in transit unless those goods have been landed or transhipped within the customs territory;

“free trade zone” means any area in Singapore declared to be a free trade zone under the Free Trade Zones Act (Cap. 114);

“identification card”, in relation to an authorised officer, means an identification card issued under section 18 to the authorised officer;

“import” means to bring or cause to be brought into the customs territory by land, water or air from —

(a)	any place outside Singapore; or
(b)	a free trade zone,

but does not include to tranship or to transit;

“import approval” means an import approval under section 5(2)(a);

“limited liability partnership” has the meaning given by the Limited Liability Partnerships Act (Cap. 163A);

“notice” does not include giving notice orally;

“offence under this Act” includes an offence under any regulations;

“personal mobility device” or “PMD” means —

(a)

a wheeled vehicle that —

(i)	is built to transport people only (with or without carry‑on baggage);
(ii)	is suitable for use on land other than a railway; and
(iii)	is propelled by an electric motor attached to the vehicle or by human power and such a motor;

(b)

a partly assembled and substantially complete vehicle that would otherwise be covered by paragraph (a) if fully assembled and completed; or

(c)

an unassembled or a completely knocked‑down vehicle that would otherwise be covered by paragraph (a) if fully assembled and completed,

but does not include a power‑assisted bicycle, trolley, inline skates or a wheeled toy, and such other vehicle as the Minister may, by order in the Gazette, exclude from this definition;

“power-assisted bicycle” or “PAB” means —

(a)

a bicycle that —

(i)	is equipped with an electric motor; and
(ii)	may be propelled by human power or by the electric motor with which it is equipped, or by both;

(b)

a partly assembled and substantially complete vehicle that would otherwise be covered by paragraph (a) if fully assembled and completed; or

(c)

an unassembled or a completely knocked‑down vehicle that would otherwise be covered by paragraph (a) if fully assembled and completed;

“premises” means a building or structure (whether permanent or temporary) or part of a building or structure;

“regulations” means regulations made under section 27;

“small motorised vehicle” means —

(a)	a personal mobility device;
(b)	a power-assisted bicycle; or
(c)	a type of motorised vehicle intended ordinarily for use on land (other than railway) to transport people or people and goods, that is prescribed as a small motorised vehicle for the purposes of this Act;

“tranship” means to bring any goods into the customs territory solely for the purpose of taking them out of the customs territory (whether on the same conveyance on which they were brought in or on another conveyance) where the goods are landed and kept at any place in the customs territory pending their being taken out of the customs territory;

“transit” means to bring goods into the customs territory from a place outside the customs territory for the purpose of taking them out of the customs territory on the same conveyance on which they were brought into the customs territory;

“vessel” includes any ship or boat or other description of vessel used in navigation on water.

(2) Unless expressly provided otherwise in this Act, any word or expression in this Act that is defined in section 2(1) of the Active Mobility Act 2017 (Act 3 of 2017) has the meaning given to it by that section.

(3) For the purposes of this Act, any notice or other document that is required by or under this Act to be sent or given to the Authority is taken to be sent or given only when it is actually received by the Authority.

Purposes of Act

3. The purposes of this Act are to provide consumers in Singapore with a choice of small motorised vehicles that meet safety standards and that are able to make use of technological advancements by —

(a)	prohibiting the import into Singapore of small motorised vehicles that do not comply with vehicle standards (except in limited circumstances); and
(b)	distinguishing those which are non‑compliant.

Act binds Government

4.—(1) This Act binds the Government.

(2) However, nothing in this Act —

(a)	renders the Government liable to prosecution for an offence under this Act; or
(b)	prevents any public officer from exercising his or her powers or carrying out his or her duties under this Act or any other written law.

(3) To avoid doubt, no person is immune from prosecution for any offence under this Act by reason only that the person is engaged to provide services to or on behalf of the Government.

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