SINGAPORE: More than 100 personal mobility device (PMD) riders were issued warnings for riding on footpaths as of 5pm on Tuesday (Nov 5), said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The users were caught on the first day of an e-scooter ban which was announced by Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min in Parliament on Monday.
AdvertisementAdvertisement[h=3]READ: E-scooters to be banned from Singapore's footpaths starting Nov 5[/h]In a response to CNA's queries, LTA said that during the advisory period from Nov 5 to Dec 31, officers will issue warnings to motorised PMD riders found riding on footpaths.
"LTA will take strict enforcement action against egregious cases," said the authority.
From 2020, offenders can face fines of up to S$2,000 and jail time of up to three months.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe ban does not apply to bicycles or personal mobility aids such as motorised wheelchairs or mobility scooters.
On Tuesday, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan in a written answer to a parliamentary question said that last year, 299 people were treated at hospitals for PMD-related incidents.
According to the data from the National Trauma Registry, these included 259 riders and eight pedestrians.
Mr Khaw was responding to Nominated Member of Parliament Walter Theseira who asked how many people have been treated at accident and emergency departments of public hospitals for injuries related to PMD accidents.
In his answer, Mr Khaw added that about 63 per cent of the injuries were classified as minor, 21 per cent as moderate and 16 per cent as severe.
[h=3]READ: E-scooter ban on footpaths: 5 things you need to know [/h]Associate Professor Theseira had also asked how the PMD-related accident rates compared to global rates, as well as to other forms of transport in Singapore.
"In the same time period, 1,836 people were treated at hospitals for injuries from bicycle-related incidents, 5,700 for motorcycle-related incidents, and 6,743 for car-related incidents," said Mr Khaw.
He added that across all these categories, about 89 per cent of the injuries were minor, 7 per cent were moderate and 4 per cent were severe.
Mr Khaw said that the ministry was unable to make an international comparison of PMD-related injuries due to the lack of such published data.
The ban comes after a spate of PMD-related accidents, including the death of a 65-year-old cyclist after a collision with an e-scooter.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...