Residents of Sengkang might be familiar with the sight of a GrabFood deliveryman in a wheelchair travelling around the area.
A recent viral video highlighted how dangerous this could be when he was caught speeding along Sengkang West Way at about 50km/h.
This incident prompted many Singaporeans to urge the authorities to implement regulations for Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs), such as electric wheelchairs.
At 10.05pm on Sunday (10 Apr) , the GrabFood deliveryman was seen riding along Sengkang West Way in the second lane.
His electric wheelchair appeared to match the speed of a public bus in the third lane.
According to the Facebook post, the dashcam that captured the video was travelling behind the deliveryman at about 50km/h.
The deliveryman later filtered to the right lane before being overtaken by the dashcam car.
Based on the footage, the wheelchair did not appear to have any safety features apart from an attached flashlight. The deliveryman also did not have a helmet on.
The incident triggered a multitude of reactions from netizens. One commented that the deliveryman was actually “famous in Sengkang area” and is often spotted there.
For many others, it was probably their first time seeing a wheelchair zoom by so quickly, being able to match the speed of a bus.
But the gravity of the situation was not lost on many other Singaporeans who pointed out the dangers of PMAs travelling at high speed on roads.
This netizen urged the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to do more enforcement checks on the specifications of PMAs.
According to LTA, PMAs like electric wheelchairs are not allowed on roads. They can only be used on footpaths or cycling paths.
Besides that, PMAs are subjected to a maximum speed of only 10km/h.
In March, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng shared he had been receiving complaints that PMAs are becoming “pseudo-motorcycles without COE (certificate of entitlement)”.
According to The Straits Times (ST), authorities are now in discussions if more restrictive rules should be put on such devices.
This includes if a person should need a doctor’s certificate of a mobility issue before they could use PMAs. LTA had previously taken action against able-bodied people who use PMAs.
In Jan 2021, an able-bodied food delivery person was apprehended for doing so. Her PMA was also impounded by LTA.
Seeing a wheelchair go at such high speeds might be amusing, but it presents serious concerns.
LTA’s regulations are in place to protect not just the riders themselves but all road users.
So when taking to the roads, do abide by their rules and code of conduct. You can find more details about them here.
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Featured image adapted from SG Road Vigilante – SGRV on Facebook.
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