With news of the COVID-19 situation hogging headlines worldwide, news relating to the controversial Personal Mobility Device (PMD) ban has become so yesterday.
Who wants to report about angry Grab riders on their bicycles when thousands are dying due to the coronavirus?
But sometimes, the alleged actions of some are way too eyebrow-raising to be ignored:
LTA Officers Accused Of Pushing E-Scooter Rider Into Drain At Bukit Batok
Here’s a quick recap for you: On 5 November 2019, the ban on PMDs on footpaths took into effect following a series of accidents that caused injuries and even deaths.
When used carelessly or incorrectly, PMDs definitely poses a threat. Hence, the Active Mobility Bill announced that the footpath ban would take place.
A grace period was given until 31 December in order to allow PMD Riders time to adjust.
However, from 1 January 2020 onwards, those who violate the rules will face strict enforcement in the form of a fine up to $2,000 and/or jail up to three months.
What Happened
Since the ban was implemented, Land Transport Authority (LTA) officers have been working hard to seize non-compliant e-scooters and dish out punishment to errant riders.
However, a few Active Mobility Enforcement Officers (AMEOs) have come under the spotlight after they were accused of chasing after an e-scooter rider.
Seems like a part of their job scope, right?
It was until they allegedly tackled and pushed him into a drain at Bukit Batok while they were on their enforcement rounds.
This caused him to fall and sustain “bleeding wounds”, suggesting the severity of the injuries.
Pretty sure pushing people into drains is not the standard operating procedure for any job.
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The rider’s friend, named Nicole, took to Facebook on 11 March to share about the incident. She claims that the rider only received “a bottle of Dettol” for his bleeding wounds.
To be fair, bottles of Dettol are pretty valuable these days, given the whole virus fiasco, but I digress.
Nicole also claims that her friend was riding a registered e-scooter that was compliant with LTA’s regulations.
Her post has been changed to “friends-only” and the public can no longer have access to it.
In the post, Nicole wrote, “(He) tackled and pushed my friend down in the drain, falling on top of him with his body weight further injuring my friend here.”
She also mentioned that her friend was badly injured, and uploaded two photos of two officers standing beside a PMD.
Nicole’s main gripe is that the enforcement officers were too focused on “catching him and entertaining their incentives” and that the situation is “really very unjust.”
LTA Has Responded
On 15 March, LTA responded to the allegations and said that AMEOs were patrolling the area that day when they saw a man riding an e-scooter on the footpath.
They signalled for him to stop but he sped up so that he could run away from the officers. In the process, he nearly crashed into an elderly female pedestrian.
While trying to stop the e-scooter rider from escaping, both the rider and the officer fell into the drain. Both of them sustained “light injuries” which were promptly attended to at the scene.
LTA has also clarified that AMEOs do not earn incentives for catching those who flout the PMD ban rules, contrary to what Nicole believes.
LTA has handed the case over to the police and they have since confirmed that they’ve received a report on 11 March which involved a rash act along Bukit Batok West Ave 6.
A 20-year-old man has been arrested in relation to the case and investigations are ongoing.
February Amendments To Active Mobility Act
In February, some amendments were made to the Active Mobility Act.
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For starters, there were introductions of measures such as mandatory theory test for e-scooter and power-assisted bicycle users and compulsory device inspections.
These rules will take into effect beginning in April.
