E-scooter accident a sign that pavements must be made safer

On Sept 1, an electric scooter hit my wife from behind on the pavement along Sims Avenue East. She fell on her side and bruised her hip. Some parishioners from the nearby church came to her aid.

Two teenagers had been racing each other on their e-scooters. They insisted that they had honked and that my wife was at fault for not moving aside.

She retorted that there was too much noise around and that she did not have eyes in the back of her head. The teenagers left, feeling that they had done no wrong.

I am sure that many such incidents go unreported. Does honking or ringing a bell signal pedestrians to jump out of the way? The onus is on riders to slow down.

Since the Government gave its approval for the sharing of pavements, these cyclists and e-scooter riders have shown scant regard for pedestrians’ safety. More must be done to regulate the use of pavements if they are to be shared.

An elderly pedestrian recently died from his injuries after an e-bike had hit him along Jalan Bukit Merah (Police release photo of suspect in fatal hit-and-run accident; appeal for information; Aug 21, online).

Action must be taken before we have more deaths. These situations are foreseeable, so let us not shut the stable door after the horse has bolted.