SINGAPORE — Seniors zipping around food centres and markets near their homes on red motorised scooters may soon be a common sight in the Telok Blangah and Bukit Merah vicinity, with a new initiative by the Radin Mas Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) that allows seniors or residents with mobility problems to borrow a motorised scooter for free.

While not all senior citizens need wheelchairs, some have difficulty walking long distances due to various health problems, which makes getting around a challenge, said CCC vice-chairman Peter Lim at the launch of the programme — called Radin Mas EZ RoaM — yesterday. “This limits their activities and affects their quality of life,” he said in Mandarin.

Hence, the committee decided to introduce the programme, which allows those aged 45 and above to borrow the motorised scooters for up to two hours each time. Those who are younger, but have mobility issues — such as those who are injured — can also borrow these scooters.

Thirty of these scooters are stationed across six locations — Bukit Merah Community Centre, Radin Mas Community Club, three Senior Activity Centres and a Family Service Centre — within the constituency. Each costs about S$1,000 and all were paid for with a sponsorship from the Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple. Residents can bring their identification cards to any of the six locations to borrow the scooters.

Radin Mas Member of Parliament Sam Tan, who is also Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, said precautions are in place to ensure the safety of the users and passers-by. For example, the scooters can go up to only 10kmh, compared with the usual 15kmh. Before setting off, users will also be briefed by volunteers on safety rules, such as not riding the scooters on the roads.

When asked about how pedestrians would take to riders sharing pedestrian space, Mr Tan said it is a matter of “give-and-take” and accommodating others in the community. “I think it’s also another way to promote good neighbourliness.”

He said the constituency has also been working towards making the area barrier-free. While some areas are still not barrier-free, he added it will continue to work with the authorities to make the place more accessible to seniors.

Among some of the seniors who took the scooters for a spin yesterday was retired hawker Lucy Lim, who finds it painful to walk around due to osteoporosis. The 73-year-old added in Mandarin that the scooter was not difficult to use and that she expects to halve her travelling time to the market to only five minutes.

Going forward, CCC chairman Lim Huan Chiang said the committee will continue to review the demand for these scooters. For instance, areas such as Jalan Bukit Merah, which has more rental flats, may require more of them.