Increase in number of PMD offences in August

SINGAPORE - The number of offences related to the use of personal mobility devices (PMDs) rose last month even as a slew of initiatives were rolled out to clamp down on their errant use.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Friday (Sept 6) that it detected 761 active mobility offences in August, up from 595 in the previous month.

The number of devices impounded in August was 176, 46 less than in July.

In June, the LTA detected 327 active mobility offences, impounding 214 devices.

Enforcement efforts last month were carried out in various areas islandwide, including Buangkok, Jurong and Yishun.

"Most of the detected offences (in August) were for registration-related offences, riding of unregistered devices and riding PMDs on roads," the authority said on its Facebook page.

The registration of e-scooters has been mandatory in Singapore since July, with more than 90,000 such devices registered since the beginning of this year.

Those found riding unregistered e-scooters on public paths face fines of up to $2,000 and up to three months' jail for the first offence.

Those found to have made false declarations during the registration process face a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment of up to a year, or both.

The Active Mobility Act - which governs the safe use of bicycles, e-bikes and PMDs on footpaths, shared cycling paths and roads - came into effect in May last year.

Under the Act, such devices must meet specifications such as having a top speed of no more than 25kmh and a maximum weight of 20kg.

A number of efforts to clamp down on the errant use of PMDs have been announced since the middle of this year.

Last month, the LTA announced that it had installed mobile closed-circuit television cameras at hot spots to detect speeding PMD users.

The authority also upgraded its MyTransport.SG mobile app to allow users to submit photos or videos of errant PMD riders.

Earlier this week, the 15 People's Action Party town councils banned the use of PMDs at the void decks of Housing Board blocks - as well as common areas such as fitness corners and multi-purpose halls. Those violating the rules face fines of up to $5,000.

A task force aimed at mitigating the fires caused by PMDs - chaired by the LTA and the Singapore Civil Defence Force - was also announced earlier this week.

The creation of the task force came less than a month after the authorities brought forward the deadline requiring PMDs to be certified fire-safe by six months to July 1 next year.

Cases of fires involving PMDs have been increasing, with 49 in the first half of this year, compared to 52 for the whole of last year.