The golden age of PMD riders is almost over. No more free reign of the paths of Singapore or getting away with slaps on the wrists.
It’s not just reckless riders. The devices themselves are also creating problems.
So much so that the new rules that will make 90% of then-current devices obsolete was pushed forward a year.
And now, before anyone can catch their breath from the latest change, yet another one is on the horizon.
Mobile Phone Use, Basic Theory Test & Minimum Age
The Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP) is the foremost authority on Personal Mobility Devices in Singapore.
They study the PMD situation in Singapore and gives the government recommendations on what they should do in the form of rules, laws and legislation.
And on 27 Sep 2019, they have a new set of recommendations for PMD riders.
For one, they recommend that PMD riders have to go through (and pass) a theory test before they can go on public paths.
Think of it like driving, except instead of the Basic Theory Test (BTT) and Final Theory Test (FTT), there’s only one.
In addition to that, the riders must also be sixteen years old to be allowed to ride on public paths.
And they are not allowed to use their mobile phones while riding, except if it’s mounted on their device or used in a “hands-free” manner.
Increased Enforcement Against PMD Riders
In April, the ministry of transport identified 228 reported accidents involving PMDs on public paths in 2017 and 2018, 196 of them resulting in injuries.
Coordinating chairman of PAP town councils, Teo Ho Pin, mentioned that the 15 town councils received around 190 pieces of feedback of reckless PMD behaviour over the last year.
And despite the new rules put into place last year by LTA against reckless PMD riders, they still exist.
Back in May 2019, a covert operation took place at Punggol Town, including the park connector in the area.
They found more than 20 offences, including speeding and riders using non-compliant devices.
11 of those non-compliant devices were compounded, and one of them apparently weighed almost 60 kg. That’s three times the limit.
To add on, LTA also released some new figures: according to them, “Of the 3,700 active mobility offences detected from 1 May 2018 and 30 April 2019, almost 20% of them pertain to speeding, reckless riding and the use of PMDs on roads. Around 50% of the offences relate to device non-compliance, and PAB-related offences make up most of the remainder.”
Mandatory Third-Party Insurance For Riders
Besides targetting the riders themselves, the panel also focused on companies that deploy fleets of PMD riders, namely GrabFood, Foodpanda and other similar services.
They recommended that the companies must obtain third-party insurance to cover their riders during their course of the work.
Why only the companies and not the riders themselves then?
The panel explained that they’re not making it compulsory for all riders because the current plans are expensive and have tons of T&Cs that exclude coverage.
They’ll be working together with the insurance industry to come up with less costly and more effective plans for PMD riders in the future.
Pedestrians aren’t spared too, and the panel is calling for a code of conduct for pedestrians to “learn how to use shared paths safely”.
You can view their full Facebook post below:
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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