SINGAPORE: “Can someone do something to help these youngsters NOT die on the road from this level of stupid?” a woman captioned a recent social media post showing two youths—a boy and a girl—riding a small electric bike that was going at a fast pace on Sengkang Road to Punggol.
Ms Genevieve Wijaya aka Mrs Raj (@genevievewijaya), posted the video on Instagram on Sept 29, and it was shared on the popular ROADS.sg Facebook account on Sunday (Oct 8). Ms Wijaya tagged the official accounts of the Land Transport Authority, the Singapore Police Force and the Ministry of Education in her post.
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“I will be honest, if I have to choose to care about anything, I would care more about how other road users may be affected by them should anything unfortunate happen due to sheer stupidity. So please keep them safe from their own ignorance and definitely off our roads.
There is no need to highlight to youngsters that this is dangerous. They already knew and that may be why they mistook this as cool. Tell them what they don’t know.. The fact that this looks really dumb,” she added.
On the ROADS.sg FB page, where the video has been viewed thousands of times, the caption noted that this type of activity is “Illegal but we still (have) them on our shared roads.” The post added, “Without helmet, these youngsters are risking life and limb. They are probably riding at about 40-50 kmph? Parents should know these two and should be responsible for their actions.”
Power-Assisted Bicycles (PAB) are allowed on cycling paths and roads in Singapore. The LTA has said, however, that bicycles, personal mobility devices (PMD) and PABs must meet the device criteria of a maximum weight of 20 kg, a maximum width of 70 cm, and a maximum capped speed of 25 km/h to be used on public paths.
Moreover, while it’s unclear how old the two youths in the video are, PAB riders under 16 are not allowed on cycling paths and roads, even when an adult supervises them. PAB riders are also disallowed from carrying a passenger on a PAB on cycling paths and roads if the passenger is under 16 years old.
Commenters on the video on both the Instagram and Facebook posts have said that this type of occurrence is not uncommon, unfortunately, and many, like Ms Wijaya, expressed concern for the safety of the youths as well as for fellow motorists whom they may be putting in danger through their reckless behaviour. /TISG