Debated in Parliament on 28 Nov 2022.
Ms Carrie Tan asked the Minister for Transport (a) how is the ownership of personal mobility aids (PMAs) being regulated; (b) whether the Ministry will consider tightening the ownership requirements for PMAs to prevent their proliferation from misuse and abuse; (c) how does the Ministry monitor whether the PMAs in use are in compliance with safety standards; (d) how can members of the public report PMAs being misused; and (e) what are the enforcement actions that will be taken following reports of non-compliant PMAs to the Ministry.
Mr Speaker, Sir, we want to make personal mobility aids, or PMAs, accessible for the many Singaporeans who rely on them for diverse daily commuting needs.
Rather than regulate ownership, LTA has regulations to ensure that PMAs are safe for use on public paths. All PMAs, which include mobility scooters and motorised wheelchairs, have a maximum speed of 10 kilometres per hour (km/h) and mobility scooters must only have a single seat, among other requirements. LTA conducts regular enforcement efforts islandwide and users found to be using non-compliant devices may face a fine of up to $10,000 and imprisonment of up to six months, and also have their devices impounded. Members of the public may report incidents of errant device users on public paths to LTA through the MyTransport.SG mobile application, or at feedback@lta.gov.sg.
Nonetheless, we acknowledge that there are cases of misuse or abuse of these devices, which we want to prevent as it affects public safety as well as safety for the riders. As part of the workplan of the Active Mobility Advisory Panel, which started its new term in January 2022, there will be a review of the rules and restrictions applicable to PMAs, such as setting pre-conditions for a person to use PMAs.
Ms Carrie Tan.
Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the answer. I would like to understand in terms of the public reporting misuse of PMAs, it is not uncommon for us to see people on the streets ferrying grandchildren or ferrying a boyfriend or a girlfriend on PMAs. So, if a member of the public sees this, can you explain how exactly can they report this on the OneMotoring app? Do they take a picture and submit the picture? What would be the enforcement actions that will follow?
When members of the public report such cases, it could be through a video, a photograph or just information about the incident via the MyTransport.SG app. LTA will collate the information based on the locations where these errant users are or non-compliant devices are used. LTA will identify these hotspot areas where they will step up enforcement actions on the ground. I hope for Members and public's understanding that LTA will not be able to deploy and enforce immediately because, by the time they reach the spots, the riders would already not be there. But the information is very useful for us to know which are the hotspot areas so that more enforcement could be deployed there.
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