Regulations on e-scooters are being tightened to minimise the risk of fires and step up safety for pedestrians on shared paths.

The Land Transport Authority is bringing forward by six months - to July 1 next year - a deadline for devices to comply with mandatory safety requirements. And there will be compulsory inspections for registered e-scooters from next April.

In addition, $50 million is being set aside to widen footpaths and install speed-regulating strips and warning signs in the next few years.

The 15 People's Action Party town councils will also require PMD users to dismount and push PMDs in void decks and common corridors of Housing Board blocks.

And four town centres in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Batok and Khatib, along with a neighbourhood centre in Tampines, will take part in a trial of pedestrian-only zones, where PMD users will have to dismount and push their devices.

Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min announced these measures in Parliament yesterday in response to questions from MPs concerned over recent fires involving motorised personal mobility devices (PMDs) as well as over accidents involving pedestrians.

Dr Lam said his ministry is "deeply concerned" about the risks posed by PMDs and their irresponsible use, but it is also mindful that the devices benefit "tens of thousands of Singaporeans" daily.

"The vast majority of them use PMDs responsibly," he stressed.

"A PMD is just a machine. It is the rider who decides whether it is beneficial or detrimental to our lives."