Female cyclist, 58, taken to hospital after e-scooter collision

E-scooters can no longer be used to make food deliveries, but a man did just that - while carrying his girlfriend - in the early hours of Monday.

As he rode his e-scooter on a footpath, which is also illegal nowadays, he collided with a female cyclist, who fell heavily onto the pavement in front of Block 769 in Woodlands Drive 60.

The 58-year-old woman was later taken conscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

A police spokesman said they were alerted to the incident at about 12.10am on Monday.

A resident, who wanted to be known only as Ms Yana, 21, said she saw the cyclist lying injured on the pavement.

The woman's bicycle, which was near her, appeared to be damaged with a bent front wheel.

ASSISTANCE

Ms Yana told Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News: "The delivery rider's girlfriend was frightened and stood there crying. I was not sure if the cyclist's injuries were serious, but she was conscious."

She added that several passers-by came forward to help the cyclist and stopped her from trying to get up in case she aggravated her injuries.

Paramedics arrived not long after and tended to her.

The delivery rider also offered his assistance, and his delivery rider friends went to the scene to help him fulfil his deliveries.

The police said they are investigating the incident as a case of rash act causing hurt.

Ms Yana told Shin Min that she often sees food delivery riders on e-scooters or power-assisted bicycles, also known as e-bikes, in the area after picking up food orders at Woodlands Mart nearby.

Some of them would be speeding and playing loud music in the early hours. Some e-scooter users also rode on the road, which is also illegal.

Personal mobility devices (PMD), including e-scooters, were allowed on public paths when the Active Mobility Act was passed in 2017.

But errant behaviour by e-scooter users and a spate of accidents involving pedestrians, including the elderly and children, led to new rules such as limiting the speed of e-scooters on foot paths to 15kmh.

But the rule-breaking and incidents continued, and the death of a 65-year-old woman cyclist four days after a collision with an e-scooter in Bedok North last September sparked strong reactions from the public and MPs.

The issue was hotly debated in Parliament and resulted in the banning of e-scooters from all footpaths from last November. The ban was extended to all motorised PMDs in April this year.

NEW RULES

Under the new rules, motorised PMDs can be used only on designated shared paths such as cycling paths and park connectors.

Anyone caught riding on pedestrian-only paths can be fined up to $1,000 and/or jailed for up to three months.

Those caught riding on footpaths or roads can be fined up to $2,000 and/or jailed for up to three months.

The PMDs, which must not be wider than 70cm, heavier than 20kg and faster than 25kmh, have to be approved by and registered with the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

The LTA also worked with the food delivery companies to phase out the use of e-scooters by offering riders financial incentives to switch to other modes of transport such as bicycles or e-bikes.

There are now fewer reported incidents involving e-scooters, but some users are still breaking the law.

In an operation just a week ago, the LTA caught several errant PMD users, including a man who was caught twice in one night, first for riding on a footpath and then on the road.

At least four PMDs found to be non-compliant were impounded.

A 20-year-old man has been charged with causing death by rash act and riding an unregistered PMD for the Bedok North incident.

If convicted for causing death by rash act, he can be jailed for up to five years and/or fined.

The penalty for causing hurt by rash act is a fine of up to $5,000 and/or a year in jail.