Statute Details
- Title: Highway (Revision) Code 2018
- Act Code: RTA1961-1217-2018
- Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Road Traffic Act (Chapter 276)
- Enacting authority (as stated): Minister for Home Affairs
- Commencement: 5 May 2018
- Legislative instrument: SL 1217/2018
- Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026 (per extract)
- Key amendments/insertions (from extract): New paragraph 20A; amendments to Part III heading; amendments to paragraphs 29, 32, 41; deletion and substitution of paragraphs 30–31, 33–36, 38–40; deletion of paragraph 42; insertion of new paragraphs 44A–44C and 49A; amendment to paragraph 50
- Notable bicycle-related provisions: Roadworthiness checks (para 38), lighting and visibility (para 39), safe riding practices (paras 30–36, 35A–35B)
- Notable crossing-related provisions: Pedal cyclists vs pedestrian crossings (paras 20A, 44A), crossing behaviour (paras 44B–44C)
- Notable motor vehicle lane restriction: No driving/stopping/parking on bicycle lanes (para 49A)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Highway (Revision) Code 2018 (“the Code”) is a Singapore subsidiary legislative instrument that revises the existing Highway Code (referred to in the extract as the “principal Code”). It is issued under the Road Traffic Act (Chapter 276) and comes into operation on 5 May 2018. In practical terms, it updates road-user guidance—especially for cyclists, pedal cyclists, and power-assisted bicycle riders—by amending specific paragraphs of the principal Highway Code and inserting new rules for particular scenarios.
Although the Highway Code is often described as “guidance”, the fact that it is issued as subsidiary legislation means it has legal force in the Singapore regulatory framework. Practitioners should therefore treat the Code as more than informal advice: it can be relevant to determining whether a road user acted with due care, complied with prescribed expectations, or departed from standards that regulators and courts may consider.
The 2018 revision focuses heavily on bicycle safety and interaction with other road users. It also introduces clearer rules about where cyclists should position themselves (including bicycle lanes and keeping left), how they should behave at crossings, and what motorists must not do with bicycle lanes. The amendments are drafted as specific, scenario-based instructions—such as what to do when a bicycle lane exists, how to manage safe distance, and what to check before riding.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1) Choice of crossings: bicycle crossing vs pedestrian crossing. The Code introduces a new paragraph 20A. Where there is a choice between using a bicycle crossing and a pedestrian crossing to cross a road, the rider must use the pedestrian crossing. This is an important “decision rule” that removes ambiguity for cyclists at mixed crossing infrastructure. It also suggests that, in the relevant design context, pedestrian crossings are treated as the safer or more appropriate crossing facility for bicycle users when both options are available.
2) Part III heading and cyclist-specific scope. The Code amends the heading to Part III of the principal Code, replacing it with “PEDAL CYCLISTS AND POWER‑ASSISTED BICYCLE RIDERS”. This signals that the revised Part III is intended to govern the conduct of these specific categories of riders, rather than cyclists generally. For practitioners, this matters when advising clients on which set of rules applies to a particular rider type.
3) Road positioning and bicycle lane discipline. Several amendments tighten how cyclists should use road space. Paragraph 29 is amended by changing the wording from “on a dual carriageway but do not ride on a footpath” to “of a roadway”. While the extract does not reproduce the full original paragraph, the revision indicates a shift in drafting emphasis: the rule is now framed around riding “of a roadway” rather than being limited to dual carriageways with a footpath caveat. This can affect interpretation in edge cases (for example, where the roadway configuration is not a dual carriageway).
Paragraph 30 is substituted to state that if a road has a bicycle lane, the rider must cycle on the bicycle lane and no other part of the road, except when the bicycle lane is blocked or obstructed, or when making a U-turn or right turn. Paragraph 31 is substituted to require riding in a single file when possible. Together, these provisions aim to reduce conflict with motor vehicles and to improve predictability for other road users by controlling lateral placement (bicycle lane use) and longitudinal spacing (single file where practicable).
4) Safety distance, situational awareness, and interaction with parked vehicles and turning vehicles. The Code substitutes paragraphs 33 to 36 with more detailed safety instructions. Paragraph 33 requires maintaining a safe distance from the rear of a motor vehicle—especially when riding behind a moving vehicle—to avoid collision if the vehicle ahead stops suddenly. Paragraph 34 requires maintaining awareness of traffic. Paragraph 35 requires slowing down and looking out when approaching road accesses, bends, junctions, and crossings, or when passing a parked motor vehicle; it also warns about vehicle doors opening and requires allowing a margin of safety when passing.
Two new provisions are particularly practical for accident prevention. Paragraph 35A prohibits squeezing between a bus at a bus stop and the bus stop kerb. This targets a known hazard zone where passengers may alight or where the bus’s presence obscures visibility. Paragraph 35B adds an instruction to avoid staying close to the rear of a turning motor vehicle or squeezing between the turning vehicle and the road kerb—again addressing a frequent collision pattern involving turning vehicles and cyclists who are positioned in the “blind spot” or between the vehicle and the kerb.
Paragraph 36 addresses steep hills: if the hill is so steep that the bicycle wobbles before reaching the top, the rider must get off and walk with the bicycle. It also requires keeping cycling speed under control on downhill roads, warning that travelling too fast prevents stopping in time in an emergency.
5) Roadworthiness and lighting/visibility requirements. The Code replaces paragraphs 38 to 40 with a consolidated “Roadworthiness” section. Paragraph 38 requires checking that the bicycle’s front and back lights, brakes, tyres and chain are in safe working condition before setting off, and also checking the height of handlebars and seat. It provides a functional test: if the rider cannot touch the ground with a foot on either side of the bicycle, the seat is too high and the rider will not have full control when stopping suddenly.
Paragraph 39 requires switching on bicycle lights at night or when it is dark. It specifies that the front light should show a white light, and the rear should display a red light or red reflector. It also requires that the front and back lights (or rear reflector) be visible from a reasonable distance. The paragraph further adds visibility-related guidance: the back mudguard should be white and kept clean to increase rear visibility, and riders should wear light-coloured clothing at night to help drivers and pedestrians see them clearly.
Paragraph 40 requires keeping both hands on the handlebars. When signalling a change of direction or a turn, the rider must do so ahead of time and return the hand to the handlebars before starting the turn. This is a clear behavioural rule designed to prevent loss of control during signalling.
6) Weather-handling and umbrella use. Paragraph 41 is amended by deleting the words “During rainy weather you should not hold an umbrella while riding your bicycle.” The extract does not show the replacement text, but the deletion indicates that the umbrella-specific instruction is no longer part of the Code as amended in 2018. Practitioners should therefore avoid relying on the removed wording as a current Code requirement, though general safety principles may still apply.
7) Courtesy crossings and car park exits/entrances. New paragraphs 44A to 44C are inserted under a new heading: “Pedal cyclists and power-assisted bicycle riders using crossings”. Paragraph 44A states that if there is a choice between using a bicycle crossing or a pedestrian crossing to cross a road, the rider must use the bicycle crossing. This is notable because it appears to differ from the earlier general rule in paragraph 20A (which directs the rider to use the pedestrian crossing when there is a choice). The practitioner should treat these as context-dependent rules: paragraph 20A is a general “choice” rule, while paragraphs 44A–44C are specifically about “using crossings” by pedal cyclists and power-assisted bicycle riders. Where both provisions could be argued to apply, careful reading of the principal Code’s structure and the intended scope is essential.
Paragraph 44B requires stopping and looking for on-coming traffic at pedestrian crossings and crossing only at walking speed. Paragraph 44C requires slowing down and giving way to motor vehicles when approaching courtesy (informal) crossings and car park exits and entrances. These provisions address speed control and priority—two recurring issues in cyclist-motorist collision scenarios.
8) Motorist restriction: no stopping/parking on bicycle lanes. New paragraph 49A provides: “Do not drive, stop or park your motor vehicle on a bicycle lane at all times.” This is a strong, categorical prohibition. It is likely intended to protect the integrity of bicycle lanes as dedicated cycling infrastructure and to prevent motorists from using bicycle lanes as ad hoc stopping areas, which can force cyclists into unsafe manoeuvres.
9) Keeping left and lane discipline for motorists. Paragraph 50 (including heading) is deleted and substituted. The revised rule is “Keep left”. It instructs drivers not to “hog the middle of the road” and to keep well to the left and as near as practicable to the edge of the road (including on dual carriageways), unless: (a) intending to overtake; (b) intending to turn right; or (c) there is a bicycle lane, in which case the driver should keep to the left-most vehicle lane. This last exception is particularly relevant to cyclist safety: it reduces the risk that motorists will drift toward bicycle lanes when there is a dedicated cycling facility.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Highway (Revision) Code 2018 is structured as a set of amendments to the principal Highway Code. The enacting formula lists the specific changes paragraph-by-paragraph: inserting new paragraphs (such as 20A, 44A–44C, and 49A), deleting and substituting existing paragraphs (such as 30–31, 33–36, 38–40, and 50), and amending headings (notably the Part III heading for pedal cyclists and power-assisted bicycle riders). The extract indicates that the revision is organised around topical clusters: bicycle lane use and riding conduct, roadworthiness and lighting, crossing behaviour, and motorist positioning/parking restrictions.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The amendments are directed at road users covered by the principal Highway Code, with a particular emphasis on pedal cyclists and power-assisted bicycle riders. The inserted and substituted provisions in Part III (as amended) govern how these riders should ride, where they should ride (including bicycle lanes), how they should behave at crossings, and what safety checks and signalling practices they must follow.
Certain provisions also apply to motor vehicle drivers, especially where the Code imposes restrictions on motorists’ conduct in relation to bicycle lanes (paragraph 49A) and requires motorists to keep left and use the left-most vehicle lane when a bicycle lane exists (paragraph 50(c)). As a result, the Code is relevant both to cyclists’ compliance and to motorists’ duties that protect cyclists’ space.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
This revision is important because it translates safety objectives into concrete, enforceable behavioural rules. For cyclists, the Code provides a structured checklist and conduct rules: pre-ride roadworthiness checks, lighting and visibility requirements, safe positioning (including bicycle lane discipline and single-file riding where possible), and interaction rules for known high-risk contexts (bus stops, turning vehicles, parked vehicles, steep hills, and crossings).
For motorists, the Code’s categorical prohibition on driving, stopping, or parking on bicycle lanes (paragraph 49A) and the “keep left” framework with a bicycle-lane-specific exception (paragraph 50) are significant. These provisions aim to prevent motorists from encroaching on cycling infrastructure and to reduce lateral conflict. In practice, they can be highly relevant in incident investigations and liability assessments, because they establish clear expectations about where vehicles may and may not be positioned.
Finally, the crossing provisions (paragraphs 20A and 44A–44C) highlight that infrastructure design choices (bicycle crossings vs pedestrian crossings) can determine the correct behaviour. Practitioners advising clients involved in crossing-related collisions should pay close attention to the specific wording and the provision’s scope, because small differences in “choice” rules can affect the analysis of compliance and fault.
Related Legislation
- Road Traffic Act (Chapter 276)
- Highway Code (principal Code) (as amended by the Highway (Revision) Code 2018)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Highway (Revision) Code 2018 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.