20 PMDs impounded in crackdown
Latest PMD enforcement operation finds 31 offences in Hougang, Telok Blangah and Tiong Bahru
Continuing their crackdown on errant users of personal mobility devices (PMDs), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) conducted a three-day operation in Hougang, Telok Blangah and Tiong Bahru.
Mobilising more than 60 active mobility enforcement officers over the weekend, they spotted 31 offences and impounded about 20 PMDs.
The offences included use of non-compliant devices, riding on the wrong paths and falsely declaring the details of their e-scooters.
Yesterday, an LTA spokesman told The New Paper they have also filed a police report against a 17-year-old for speeding on his PMD and colliding with an enforcement officer while trying to flee.
The latest operation comes soon after one on May 25 when the officers detected 16 offences and impounded 10 PMDs across various locations.
And on May 17, the officers worked with the police and National Parks Board in one of the largest enforcement operations in Punggol Town.
They detected more than 20 offences and impounded 11 devices, with one of them weighing nearly three times the weight limit.
In a forum letter to The Straits Times last month, Mr Kenneth Wong, LTA's Director of the Active Mobility Group, said surveillance and enforcement operations are carried out regularly across about 600 locations island-wide to target and catch errant riders.
LTA introduced the Active Mobility Act in May last year, which sets clear rules on speed limits and device specifications.
Since the introduction of the Act, 3,700 active mobility offences were detected from May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2019 said Mr Wong.
Almost 20 per cent of the offences pertain to speeding, reckless riding and the use of PMDs on roads, and around 50 per cent relate to device non-compliance.
Last month, questions were raised in Parliament about safety issues related to the use of such devices.
Several Members of Parliament called for them to be banned from footpaths and void deck spaces.
The Straits Times reported last Friday that LTA had delayed a decision on which companies can operate PMDs in Singapore, in light of safety concerns.
Thirteen operators are vying for sandbox licences to operate shared-PMD services, which will see each licensee running a small fleet of up to 500 e-scooters.
From July, all e-scooter owners must register their devices with LTA.
Those found riding unregistered devices on public paths can be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed for six months.
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