SINGAPORE: New regulations have been announced for personal mobility aids following a more than fivefold increase in offences related to their misuse in 2024. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) disclosed the sharp increase on Feb 21.
During a debate on the Ministry of Transport’s (MOT) budget on Wednesday (March 5), Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng gave a timeline for implementing new regulations, saying these will take effect in the first quarter of 2026.
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The lower speed limit from 10 to 6 kmh for PMAs used on public paths was first introduced by Mr Baey last year. Older models that can go up to 10 km/h may still be used but only up to a speed of 6 km/h.
“For some perspective, 10 kmh is a running speed, whereas our typical walking speed is between 4 and 6 kmh. Six kilometres per hour is a brisk walking speed,” he said last year.
Secondly, if a PMA is over 70 cm in width, 120 cm in length, and 150 cm in height and has a laden weight of 300kg, it will not be allowed on public paths. Retailers will also not be allowed to display, advertise, and sell PMAs that exceed prescribed size limits or whose speed limits are over 6 kmh.
Finally, LTA has said that only users with certified medical needs will be allowed to use a mobility scooter. From the fourth quarter of this year, they may obtain a medical certificate from a doctor or an occupational therapist. However, this does not apply to users of motorised wheelchairs.
“We will give users some time to obtain the certification, and enforcement officers will engage and educate users on the new rules during this transition period,” Mr Baey said, adding that more details concerning these regulations will be given in the third quarter of the year.
Last month, a spokesperson for the LTA said that there had been 38 offences that involved PMA lookalikes last year, whereas there had only been six in the previous year. Most offences involved riding a non-compliant PMA, riding a PMA lookalike or an e-scooter on a footpath, The Straits Times reported the spokesperson as saying. /TISG