The fear of being hit by PMDs is real

As a senior citizen, I would like to know how the Active Mobility Panel arrived at the rulings governing the use of personal mobility devices (PMDs).

Did it do an extensive study or survey in examining the problems we are facing today? Are we fully prepared or have the infrastructure or facilities before such devices are allowed to be used so widely? 

Has it studied why certain countries adopted the use of PMDs and why certain countries didn’t?  

It used to be that I could walk safely on footpaths as a pedestrian but now, I do so in fear because any moment, I could be hit by a PMD. Often, I am forced to give way to younger PMD users to avoid being hit.

This feeling of “tension and danger” is more real and scarier than being hit by vehicles on the road.

Yes, you can say elders like me are used to being in “a controlled environment or well-structured place”.

My concern is, would insurance plans work in such cases if we were to suffer injuries due to accidents with PMD riders? At our age, insurers might dismiss it as a “fall”. 

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that he has asked the Active Mobility Panel to review the code of conduct for these devices to see what other rules to introduce, tweak or tougher.

Is there a need to spend so many resources on registration, regulations, enforcement, manpower and so on, to look into this? Would not these resources be put to better use in improving the present public transport systems? 

If you are talking about going car-lite or for last-mile connectivity, is it realistic to expect car owners to convert to using PMDs?

It is also sad to see young riders on PMDs rather than walking, and becoming dependent on these gadgets. It feels like we have introduced “a monster”.