Statute Details
- Title: Road Traffic (Car-Free Weekend — Exemption) Order 2019
- Act Code: RTA1961-S506-2019
- Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Enacting Authority: Made by the Minister for Transport under section 142 of the Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276)
- Commencement: 30 August 2019
- Current Version: Current as at 27 Mar 2026
- Key Amendment Noted in Extract: Amended by S 214/2024 with effect from 16 Mar 2024
- Core Mechanism: Provides targeted exemptions from specified Road Traffic Act provisions and specified rules during Car-Free Weekend events
What Is This Legislation About?
The Road Traffic (Car-Free Weekend — Exemption) Order 2019 (“the Order”) creates a controlled legal pathway for certain vehicles and riders to participate in Car-Free Weekend events in Singapore without being fully subject to selected regulatory requirements under the Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276) and related rules.
In practical terms, Car-Free Weekend events involve road closures under a police order issued pursuant to the Road Traffic Act. The Order recognises that, during such closures, the usual traffic regulatory framework may be too rigid or not calibrated to the specific types of mobility solutions used for event-related purposes—particularly where those solutions are used by approved organisations or for approved activities.
The Order therefore “carves out” exemptions for (i) specified e-trishaws, (ii) riders of personal mobility devices, (iii) drivers of mobility scooters and motorised wheelchairs, and (iv) riders of certain bicycles and related devices (including pillion passengers). The exemptions are conditional: they apply only on roads or parts of roads closed to traffic for Car-Free Weekend, and only if strict safety and compliance requirements are met.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Definitions and event scope (Section 2)
The Order defines “Car-Free Weekend” by reference to events known as “Car-Free Sunday” or “Car-Free Weekend” for which a permit has been granted under section 143 of the Road Traffic Act. Importantly, the Order limits the definition to events organised by or on behalf of specified public bodies, including the Authority, the Health Promotion Board, the National Arts Council, the National Parks Board, the Singapore Sports Council, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Section 2 also defines key mobility categories and compliance concepts. These include “e-trishaw” (a three-wheeled passenger-carrying vehicle equipped with an electric motor and capable of human or electric propulsion), “specified e-trishaw” (an e-trishaw approved by the Authority for use during Car-Free Weekend), and “personal mobility device” and “registrable personal mobility device” by cross-reference to the Active Mobility Act 2017. The Order also defines “hours of darkness” as 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. (inclusive), which becomes crucial for lighting requirements.
2. Exemption for specified e-trishaws (Section 3)
Section 3 is the most detailed exemption provision in the extract. It states that certain provisions of the Road Traffic Act—specifically sections 5(1) and (5), 10(1), 15 and 29(1) and (4)—and the rules specified in the Schedule do not apply to the use of a specified e-trishaw on roads closed to traffic under a police order issued under section 143(2), in connection with Car-Free Weekend.
However, the exemption is not blanket. It applies only if all conditions are satisfied. Key conditions include:
- Permitted users (Section 3(a)): the specified e-trishaw may be used only by CWA Singapore, the Authority, a specified public agency, or individuals authorised by those bodies.
- No hire or reward (Section 3(c)): the specified e-trishaw must not be used to carry persons or goods for hire or reward.
- Lighting during hours of darkness (Section 3(d)): the rider must wear or the e-trishaw must display a white light at the front and a red light or reflector at the back, each clearly visible for a reasonable distance.
From a practitioner’s perspective, the “specified e-trishaw” concept is critical. The exemption depends on Authority approval. This means compliance work should begin with verifying the vehicle’s status as “specified” and ensuring that the rider falls within the authorised user categories.
3. Exemption for personal mobility device riders (Section 4)
Section 4 provides that sections 5A and 5B of the Road Traffic Act do not apply to an individual who rides a personal mobility device on roads closed to traffic under a police order for Car-Free Weekend, again subject to conditions.
The conditions are designed to manage both regulatory classification and safety. They include:
- Device compliance status (Section 4(b)): the personal mobility device must either be (i) not a “non-compliant personal mobility device”, or (ii) if it is non-compliant, it must be procured by a specified agency and approved by the Authority for Car-Free Weekend, or procured by the Authority.
- Registration status (Section 4(c)): the device must not be an “unregistered registrable personal mobility device”.
- Registration markings (Section 4(d)): if the device is a registered registrable personal mobility device, it must have the required registration mark and label/mark under the Active Mobility (Registration of Registrable Personal Mobility Devices) Regulations 2019.
- Lighting during hours of darkness (Section 4(e)): the rider must wear or the device must display a white front light and a red rear light, each clearly visible for a reasonable distance.
Accident response duties (Section 4(f) and related subsections)
A particularly important feature is the inclusion of detailed obligations where an accident occurs involving injury or property damage. The extract shows that the rider must, as far as circumstances permit:
- immediately stop the device;
- immediately render assistance;
- provide name and residential address (and the owner’s name and address) to the injured person or property owner (or their representative);
- as soon as possible provide those details to any police officer or Authority employee present; and
- if no police officer or Authority employee is present, report full particulars at the nearest police station in person, depending on whether injury or property damage occurred.
This accident-response framework is a practical compliance anchor. It signals that the exemption from certain Road Traffic Act provisions does not remove core duties of incident handling and information exchange. For counsel advising riders or event operators, this is often the most operationally significant part of the exemption.
4. Exemption for mobility scooter or motorised wheelchair drivers (Section 5)
Although the extract truncates the text for Section 5, the enacting formula and headings indicate that Section 5 provides an exemption for drivers of mobility scooters or motorised wheelchairs from specified Road Traffic Act provisions, again limited to roads closed to traffic under the police order for Car-Free Weekend and subject to conditions likely analogous to those for personal mobility devices (including safety and lighting requirements).
5. Exemption for bicycle and related device riders and pillion passengers (Section 6)
Similarly, Section 6 provides exemptions for riders of bicycles, three-wheeled pedal cycles, recumbent devices, or power-assisted bicycles, and also for pillion passengers. The legal significance is that the Order is not limited to motorised micro-mobility; it also addresses pedal and assistive devices, reflecting the event’s broader mobility ecosystem.
For practitioners, the Schedule becomes relevant. Section 3 expressly refers to “the rules specified in the Schedule”. Even where the extract does not reproduce the Schedule content, the structure indicates that the exemption is not only about Act sections but also about particular rules. Therefore, a full legal review should include the Schedule to identify exactly which rule-based obligations are disapplied during Car-Free Weekend for the specified categories.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Order is structured as follows:
- Section 1: Citation and commencement (30 August 2019).
- Section 2: Definitions, including the scope of “Car-Free Weekend”, the meaning of “e-trishaw”, “specified e-trishaw”, “hours of darkness”, and cross-referenced definitions from the Active Mobility Act and other subsidiary rules.
- Section 3: Exemption for use of specified e-trishaws, disapplying specified Road Traffic Act provisions and specified rules during Car-Free Weekend roads closures, subject to strict conditions (authorised users, no hire/reward, lighting, etc.).
- Section 4: Exemption for personal mobility device riders, disapplying sections 5A and 5B subject to device compliance/registration and safety/incident duties.
- Section 5: Exemption for mobility scooter or motorised wheelchair drivers.
- Section 6: Exemption for bicycle and related device riders and pillion passengers.
- The Schedule: “Specified rules” that are disapplied (at least in relation to Section 3’s e-trishaw exemption). The Schedule is essential for determining the precise regulatory carve-outs.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Order applies to individuals and organisations involved in riding or driving specified mobility devices during Car-Free Weekend events. The exemptions are geographically and temporally limited: they apply only on roads or parts of roads closed to traffic under a police order issued under section 143(2) of the Road Traffic Act, and only in connection with a Car-Free Weekend event for which a permit has been granted under section 143.
For e-trishaws, the Order is particularly targeted: use is restricted to CWA Singapore, the Authority, specified public agencies, or authorised individuals. For personal mobility devices, the Order is targeted by device compliance status and registration status, and it imposes safety and accident reporting duties. Accordingly, the Order is best understood as an event-specific regulatory permission framework rather than a general relaxation of traffic law.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
This Order is important because it balances two competing policy objectives: enabling safe and inclusive mobility during large-scale public events, while maintaining baseline road safety and accountability. By disapplying selected Road Traffic Act provisions, the Order reduces friction for approved mobility solutions. Yet by imposing detailed conditions—especially lighting requirements and accident response obligations—it preserves core safety outcomes.
For legal practitioners, the Order’s conditional structure creates clear compliance checkpoints. Advising clients (event organisers, mobility operators, authorised riders, or device suppliers) will typically require confirming:
- the event qualifies as “Car-Free Weekend” under the permit and organiser criteria;
- the relevant roads are properly closed under the police order mechanism;
- the vehicle/device is within the exempt category (e.g., “specified e-trishaw” approved by the Authority);
- the rider/driver is within the permitted user class (for e-trishaws) or the device meets compliance/registration requirements (for personal mobility devices); and
- the rider can comply with lighting and incident-reporting duties during and after hours of darkness.
Finally, the 2024 amendment (S 214/2024 effective 16 March 2024) underscores that the legal framework for mobility devices is evolving. Counsel should therefore always check the current version and any amendments affecting definitions (such as “specified e-trishaw” approval criteria) and cross-referenced rules under the Active Mobility and bicycle construction/use regimes.
Related Legislation
- Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276) (including sections 142, 143, and the disapplied sections referenced in the Order)
- Active Mobility Act 2017 (Act 3 of 2017) (definitions of personal mobility devices and compliance concepts)
- Active Mobility (Registration of Registrable Personal Mobility Devices) Regulations 2019 (G.N. No. S 13/2019)
- Road Traffic (Bicycles, Three-wheeled Pedal Cycles, Trishaws and Recumbent Devices — Construction and Use) Rules 2024 (G.N. No. S 157/2024)
- Companies Act 1967 (definition of CWA Singapore as a company incorporated under the Act)
- Health Promotion Board Act
- National Arts Council Act
- National Parks Board Act
- Singapore Sports Council Act
- Urban Redevelopment Authority Act
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Road Traffic (Car-Free Weekend — Exemption) Order 2019 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.