The National Environment Agency (NEA) is
offering an incentive of up to $3,500 for owners of older, more
pollutive motorcycles to de-register their vehicles over the next
five years, in a bid to reduce air pollution.
At a press briefing on Friday (6 April), NEA
said that the owners of motorcycles registered before 1 July
2003 will be eligible for the two-part incentive if their vehicles
have a valid 10-year Certificate of Entitlement (COE) as of 6 April
2018.
The vehicles must be de-registered on or
before 5 April 2023, upon which owners will receive $2,000. If
the motorcycle’s COE is not renewed on or after 7 April 2018, the
owner will receive an additional $1,500 upon its de-registration,
as well as a rebate for the unused COE period.
Some 27,000 motorcycles are eligible for this
incentive. Owners of motorcycles which are on a five-year
non-renewable COE, or the Classic, Vintage (Restricted), and
Revised Vintage Vehicle Schemes as of 6 April this year are not
eligible.
Owners will receive a letter from NEA by
end-April informing them of the incentive if they are eligible.
Motorcyclists may also log onto the onemotoring.com.sg website to
check their vehicles’ first registration dates.
Separately, from 6 April 2023, the NEA will
also be tightening in-use emission standards for motorcycles
registered before 1 July 2003.
According to the agency, the motorcycles
registered before 1 July 2003 make up around 20 per cent of
Singapore’s motorcycle population but account for about 40 per cent
of carbon monoxide emitted by motorcycles.
The older motorcycles will be banned from
Singapore roads after 30 June 2028. Motorcycles from
the Classic, Vintage (Restricted), and Revised Vintage Vehicle
Schemes are exempted from the new emission standards.
The initiatives are in line with the
Government’s efforts to tackle air pollution, which include other
schemes such as the Euro VI emissions standards, the Vehicular
Emissions Scheme and the Early Turnover Scheme for commercial
vehicles. Singapore is still working towards meeting the air
quality targets for these pollutants.
The two initiatives address motorcycles’
“large contribution” to air pollution, said NEA. While motorcycles
make up 15 per cent of the local vehicles population, they
contribute around 50 per cent of carbon monoxide from vehicles, it
said.
Motorcycles also emit hydrocarbons, which are
also precursors to ozone. Both carbon monoxide and ozone are known
impair respiratory functions.
yahoo