PAP town councils could ban personal mobility devices from void decks as they review by-laws
SINGAPORE — Town councils under the People’s Action Party (PAP) could ban personal mobility devices (PMDs) from void decks of public housing blocks, as they relook their by-laws to bring these in step with legislation that governs such equipment on public paths.
The Active Mobility Act, which took effect in 2018, spells out rules governing the use of personal mobility devices and other equipment on public paths.
SINGAPORE — Town councils under the People’s Action Party (PAP) could ban personal mobility devices (PMDs) from the void decks of public housing blocks, as they relook their by-laws to bring these in step with legislation that governs such equipment on public paths.
PMDs include electric scooters and hoverboards.
Dr Teo Ho Pin, the co-ordinating chairman of the ruling party’s 15 town councils, which take care of the public housing estates in the party's various constituencies, told TODAY on Friday (May 17): “The town councils’ by-laws will be reviewed to align with the Active Mobility Act and we will not rule out banning PMDs from void decks.”
The Active Mobility Act, which took effect last year, spells out rules governing the use of PMDs and other equipment on public paths.
Under the law, for instance, PMD users must keep within a 10km/h limit on footpaths.
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Dr Teo, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Panjang, added that the PAP-run town councils were concerned about the safety risks posed by PMD users in void decks.
“We shall administer strict enforcement once the town councils’ by-laws are enacted,” he said.
At the same time, the PAP’s town councils are monitoring residents’ concerns and will continue working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on efforts to promote safe riding, Dr Teo said.
TODAY has reached out to the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, which is run by the opposition Workers’ Party.
Dr Teo’s comments come just over a week after the issue received an airing in Parliament.
Last Tuesday, Mr Murali Pillai, the MP for Bukit Batok, had asked if the void decks in Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates could be designated pedestrian-only paths under the Active Mobility Act to prevent collisions involving PMDs.
Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Transport, replied that void decks are exempted from the Act since they are “not critical for connectivity”.
Therefore, town councils can set and enforce their own rules, including banning PMDs in void decks, he said.
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Void decks span the areas around letter boxes, ground-level lift lobbies and corridors fronting HDB flats, Dr Lam said.
Speeding PMD riders have been in the spotlight of late, with several TODAY readers writing to its Voices section to air their concerns.
Mr Francis Cheng Choon Fei, for instance, took issue with food delivery riders who speed down corridors of HDB blocks, putting children and elderly persons at risk.
With technology making it more convenient for those wishing to order food, more riders are “zipping along footpaths, walkways, and the corridors and void decks of HDB blocks”, Mr Cheng wrote in his letter on Thursday.
In another letter last month, Mr Tan Chi Wei said that he has seen errant PMD users speeding along footpaths in Yishun town, with music blaring from portable speakers attached to their devices.
Saying that he has never seen LTA officers doing their rounds after office hours, Mr Tan urged the government agency to step up patrols in the evenings.
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