Senior Minister of State Lam Pin Min told Parliament that authority has decided to ban e-scooter ban on footpaths to make sure the safety of the pedestrians. After the ban was announced on Monday, November 4 while many users of personal mobility devices (PMD) decided to stop riding their e-scooters, some of them strongly disagreed with the new rule and turned to their MPs for help.
The Land Transport Authority said that they have issued more than 350 warnings since the ban. Many riders also tried riding the e-scooters on the grass verges next to the footpaths, but the National Parks Board (NParks) stated that such actions could cause a fine up to $5,000. Meanwhile, the Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said he had a discussion with almost 30 PMD riders, who were gathered in Yishun to express their concerns regarding the ban. In a social media post, Shanmugam mentioned that the group of PMD riders had come to his Meet-the-People Session on Tuesday evening.
It should be noted that the Nee Soon GRC MP said in Facebook that he met with three of the concerned riders in his branch office and asked to meet the others outside. He mentioned that the concerns raised by the riders and their views on the PMD band will be conveyed to the Ministry of Transport as well as to the Cabinet.
As reported by The New Paper, the MP said that he received emails from at least 10 Singapore residents and some of them also visited him to his MPS on Monday after the ban was announced. Meanwhile, a Nee Soon GRC MP, Lee Bee Wah, also made a similar post on Facebook, She said that currently, she is talking to delivery riders and parents who use PMDs to take their children to school, about how they can use other modes of transport or cycling path network in Yishun. She mentioned that "Where necessary, I will supplement it with community resources, for example, helping to buy bicycles or financial help."
It should be noted that on Monday, Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min said that in the past two years the government put in great efforts to promote the safe use of motorised personal mobility devices but "Despite significant efforts, we continue to encounter errant riders who use non-compliant devices and ride dangerously." So the government has decided to ban the e-scooters from the footpath.
Many Singaporean PMD riders also slammed Lam on social media. One of the Facebook users also said that "Your one sentence caused thousands of people to lose their jobs," another user wrote, "One day I hope you will tell your grandchildren and your descendants what you have done today, shame on you."
