On Tuesday (10 December) a video captured by a vehicle’s dashcam saw an enforcement officer kicking a Personal Mobility Device (PMD) rider off his device along Bedok Reservoir Road.
Due to the impact of the kick, the rider was seen flying onto the asphalt road. This shocking footage was shared by community-run traffic website, ROADS.sg. on Tuesday.
According to the website, it appears that four Active Mobility Enforcement Officers were performing their duty at the junction when they suddenly spotted an errant PMD rider riding his device on the left-most lane of the road at high speed.
As such, one of the officers ran across the junction in an attempt to stop the man. However, the man did not slow down, prompting the officer to stick his leg out with a kick to stop the rider.
This resulted in the rider flying off his device before landing on the pavement. Based on an update on ROADS.sg’s Facebook page, the man was hurt and was sent by the police to the hospital.
Since 5 November this year, e-scooters were banned on footpaths in Singapore, after Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min announced it a day earlier in Parliament.
Although e-scooters are banned from being used on roads and footpaths in the Republic, but it will still be allowed on cycling paths and Park Connector Networks (PCNs).
Those found guilty of the crime can be fined up to S$2,000 and jail time of up to three months once the ban is strictly enforced from 2020.
Here’s the video:
Upon viewing the video, many netizens gave mixed reactions to the incident. Writing in the Facebook page of Mothership, some applauded the officer for his quick action to stop the errant PMD rider. They said that the officer should be “appreciated” because the rider did not follow the rules and his action could endanger “other road users and pedestrians”.
However, others slammed the officer as it was wrong for him to kick the PMD rider, even if he was “infringing the rules”. This is because the rider could be badly hurt due to the officer’s action. Calling the officer’s move “brutality”, netizens said that the PMD rider “is not a hardcore criminal that need to be taken down” in such a manner.
Tim Lee said that nothing will actually happen to the rider, as he has seen no action taken on four riders who have been caught previously. “Since the ban, I caught 4 YP on road, handed over to SPF and LTA, still nothing will happen to them,” he wrote.
On the other hand, Fiona Rae is on the fence on this matter. Although she feels that it’s “really dangerous to kick the high speed rider like that”, but she also disagrees with how the rider refused to stop despite asking to do so. “If it weren’t a PMD but a motorcyclist acting irrationally and dangerously on the roads, would this have been acceptable under such circumstances? Should consideration also be given to the potential danger to other motorists and pedestrians?” she asked.
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