Video of motorised wheelchair speeding on busy Sengkang road sparks calls to review rules
Is it time to tighten the rules on personal mobility aids (PMAs)?
Some Singaporeans seem to think so after a man was seen riding his motorised wheelchair on the road last Sunday (April 10) night.
He was seen cruising on Sengkang West Way in dashcam footage uploaded by a fellow road user on the same night.
The 57-second clip has garnered 42,000 views at the time of writing.
The PMA occupying the middle lane was able to match the 50km/h speed of other drivers, including a bus travelling on the left-most lane. The motorist driving behind the man also flashed its headlights in warning.
With his green shirt and bag, some said that the man riding the motorised wheelchair was a food delivery rider.
As the clip made its rounds on social media, it riled up many netizens, with one Facebook user writing: "Very good.. No need pay Certificate of Entitlement (COE).."
Another netizen questioned if PMAs are being misused by those without mobility issues.
Under the Active Mobility Act, PMAs are allowed on footpaths and cycling paths, not roads.
Just last month, the Active Mobility Advisory Panel (AMAP) said it was discussing if more restrictive rules surrounding who can use PMAs — including motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters — should be implemented.
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Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and AMAP chairman Baey Yam Keng shared that he received plenty of complaints from residents on issues of PMAs.
"(For PMAs), does a person need to get a doctor's certificate to say he is disabled or has a mobility issue? There could be a possibility that people are abusing it," he said.
ALSO READ: Reckless PMD riders speeding in excess of 60kmh and overtaking drivers in Choa Chu Kang
amierul@asiaone.com
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