86kg e-bike, over 4 times legal weight, among latest PMD-related offences: LTA
This power-assisted bicycle user allegedly broke several rules, including the weight limit of 20kg for use on public paths. The Land Transport Authority said the device weighed nearly 86kg, and was fitted with a throttle, among other breaches.
SINGAPORE — The authorities have picked up 27 offences related to personal mobility devices (PMDs) at Kallang Park Connector Network and Woodlands Waterfront Park, including a power-assisted bicycle (PAB) weighing almost 86kg — more than four times the permissible weight for a public path.
The offences were detected during enforcement action at on Sunday (Oct 13) and Monday by Land Transport Authority (LTA) officers and National Parks Board (NParks) officers, the LTA said in a statement on Facebook on Tuesday.
The user of the power-assisted bicycle was in possession of an unregistered device, it added.
For public paths, the maximum permissible weight for a PMD, including a PAB, is 20kg, while the maximum width is 70cm. The speed limit is 25km/h.
The oversized bicycle had a tampered LTA approval seal and was fitted with a throttle, which makes it a non-compliant device, the authority added.
Aside from devices which exceeded the weight limit, the other offenders were caught by the authorities because they were speeding, in possession of unregistered devices or using non-compliant devices.
Three devices were also seized and impounded by the authorities, the LTA said.
A spate of accidents including the death of 65-year-old cyclist Ong Bee Eng following a crash with a PMD rider last month have intensified public debate over the use of the devices on public paths, with some calling for a ban amid safety concerns.
Earlier this month, Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary said in Parliament that the Government may have “no choice” but to ban the use of PMDs completely from Singapore if the behaviour of PMD riders does not improve.
He later elaborated that a ban on PMDs is not immediately necessary and the Transport Ministry will do “what it takes” to keep footpaths safe.
