The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has revealed that the personal mobility device (PMD) involved in the recent fatal collision in Bedok exceeded the weight and width limits for public paths.
The LTA said on Thursday (26 September) that investigations revealed that the e-scooter was not compliant with regulations and was unregistered, adding that it should not have been used on public paths.
Current regulations require that PMDs stay below the 20kg weight and 70cm width limit to be allowed on public paths and that they should not go faster than 25km per hour.
While the police are investigating the case as causing death by rash act, the LTA is investigating the case for offences under the Active Mobility Act which came into effect on May 2018.
The LTA said its investigations will “potentially disclose an offence of riding a non-compliant PMD on a public path”, which carries with it a punishment of three months jail, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.
The authority added, “We have zero tolerance towards those who show flagrant disregard for our regulations and endanger public safety.”
Ramping up enforcement of PMD regulations
In the past few years, the LTA has stepped up efforts in regulating the use of PMDs and enforcing these regulations.
At the end of July 2019, LTA introduced mobile closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in hotspots around the island to detect errant PMD users.
While the Authority hasn’t specified how many CCTV cameras there are or the locations, it did note that the cameras are part of an 18-month trial it is running in collaboration with the Government Technology Agency.
Earlier that month, the LTA also launched a new feature on its MyTransport.SG app, making it easier for users to alert authorities to riders who flaunt the regulations. Users can submit photos, videos and relevant information like the identification number of the device and nature of the incident when making a report.
On the first day after this new feature was introduced, LTA said it received 30 reports via the app of PMD users flaunting regulations.
An LTA spokesman said: “LTA is leveraging technology to expand its enforcement presence and serve as visual deterrence to errant behaviour.
“This will help to alleviate some of the constraints faced in the manpower-intensive enforcement deployments.”
These measures complement other efforts LTA has implemented in relation to PMD regulation enforcement.
In 2017, LTA announced it would start using Volunteer Public Path Wardens to assist LTA’s own active mobility enforcement officers in enforcing the Active Mobility Act. These volunteer wardens are issued authorisation cards by the LTA which allows them to taken down the particulars of those who violate the regulations.
Wardens are also allowed to submit photo and video evidence of errant PMD users, which is then forwarded to the LTA for further action.
These volunteers have been trained on the rules and code of conducts under the Active Mobility Act, the scope of their powers, and have even received on-the-job training with LTA’s enforcement officers.
With all these measures in place, the LTA is cracking down on errant PMD users. In July this year, the Authority announced that it has detected 595 offences and impounded 222 devices in that month alone, an increased from the previous month’s 327 offences and 214 impounded devices.
The LTA also impounded 11 non-compliant devices on the spot when running checks on 10 PMD retailers in July.
