Out of the box Hong Lim Park, 23 November 2019, Speech by Tan KL on PMD Ban
I am not a PMD rider. But today, I like to stand united with PMD
riders and speak against the ban on the use of PMD on our
footpaths. OK or not?

The ban was hasty. It was not the right decision. It was a bad
decision. Agree or not?

The government has banned the use of PMDs on footpaths with
immediate effect.

It has affected two groups of users.

The first group are the food delivery riders who need PMDs for their
work. The ban has affected their livelihood badly.

The second group are people who need PMDs to get to the bus stop,
MRT station or their place of work. It may be too far for them to
walk.

How many people are affected by the ban?

There was a news report that 75,000 owners have registered their e-
scooters and paid a registration fee of $20.

The LU2272 compliant e-scooters cost between $300 to $700
depending on model.

So, many owners are badly affected by the ban.

It is unfortunate that the government decided on imposing this ban
suddenly, without considering the negative impact on the large
number of people who are affected.

If they had imposed the ban in the first place, we would not have so
many people paid so much money to buy the PMD. Right?

We all know of the problems caused by errant riders who use their
PMDs at high speed on footpaths. This has caused a few accidents
and injuries to pedestrians.

Many people have called for measures to keep the footpaths safe.
The government was responding to this call when they decided to
impose a ban.

Was it the correct decision?

Let me make a few points and consider this issue from the
perspective of the riders and pedestrians.

My first point is that the PMD is a useful device for both the food
delivery riders and for those who use it to travel to work.

It is small and, if used at a slow speed, will not cause many accidents.
Even if an accident occurs, it will not cause much harm.

It is also useful as a mobility device for food delivery. We should not
overlook the benefit of food delivery in providing a livelihood for the
delivery riders.

It is also a useful service to customers who has to stay at home to
look after children and have the food delivered to their homes.

We should find a way for the PMDs to be used on footpaths, without
causing harm to pedestrians.

What can be done?

Earlier this month, I was in Taipei. I spent three days in a mountain
resort called Wulai.

The roads were narrow and had to be shared by cars, motor cycles
and pedestrians. They were so narrow that when two cars need to
pass each other in the opposite direction, one car has to move to the
side to allow the other car to pass.

I was on the road making a video recording with my mobile phone.

There was a roar behind me, followed by the sound of a horn. Soon,
a motorcycle passed me from behind at a slow speed.

I was aware of the motorcycle because of the roar of the engine.
I suggest that the PMD should have a buzzer. When it is used at a
safe speed, it should give an audible sound that can be heard by
pedestrians.

When it exceeds a speed limit of 10 kph or 15 kph, it should give a
loud sound, like a siren. This is not only to warn pedestrians but also
to alert the rider that it is exceeding the allowed limit.

All PMDs using the footpath should be installed with this buzzer. It
should be made a mandatory requirement. The rider should be
responsible to ensure that the buzzer works as intended.

For wide footpaths, we should mark two separate paths to be used
by PMD riders and pedestrians. For narrow pathways, we should
widen it by removing the grass verge.

If it is not possible to widen the pathway, the PMD riders and
pedestrians can share the same pathway, but the speed should be
kept to less than 10 kph and both parties should exercise caution.

It may also be necessary to indicate the direction on which the PMD
can be used.

For the side roads in HDB and private housing estates, we should
allow the PMDs to be used on the road. The speed of the cars should
be restricted to 20 kph. This should make the roads safe for PMD
riders and bicycle riders.

My key point is – let us take steps to make the footpaths safe for
pedestrians and PMD riders, without resorting to an outright ban.

Let me address the issue of the errant riders.

I have seen food delivery riders on several occasions. I noticed them
because they were wearing jackets issued by the food delivery
platforms.

On these occasions, I saw that they were moving at a safe speed and
were careful.

My impression is that many PMD riders, including those involved in
the delivery of food, are responsible riders. Agree or not?

I am sure that there were a few errant riders who travelled at a fast
and dangerous speed. They were the people who caused the serious
accidents that were reported.

We should find an effective way to deal with these errant riders and
not impose an outright ban that affects the responsible riders.

I suggest that errant riders, who are caught and convicted, should be
banned from using the PMDs. It is like revoking the license of an
errant car or motorcycle rider.

Those who observe the speed limit and other safety regulations
should be allowed to use the footpaths.

But all PMD riders should work together to keep the footpaths safe.
This means riding at a safe speed. No rushing.

We should also address another source of the problem - the practice
of the food delivery platforms. They offer attractive incentives that
encourage the riders to make many deliveries in a day. This is the
root cause of the pressure by the delivery riders to ride at high speed
to achieve the targets.

The platforms should modify their incentives. The target should be
the number of deliveries that a rider can make within the approved
speed limit. Indeed, the platforms should set a limit on the number
of deliveries that each rider can achieve in a day.

I call on these food delivery platforms to modify their incentive
scheme and remove the pressure for the riders to travel at a fast and
dangerous speed.

I call on the government to review the ban and find other ways to
ensure the safety of our footpaths, without affecting the PMD riders
who need to make a living or to use the PMD to get to work.

And I call on the PMD riders to cooperate and exercise slow and safe
riding. Can I call you to cooperate and make the pathways safe for
children to walk.

Tan Kin Lian

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