More delivery riders asking MPs to lift e-scooter ban
About 150 riders and retailers gather in Ang Mo Kio and Jurong West to voice their concerns
On Monday, Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min announced in Parliament that e-scooters would be banned from footpaths from Tuesday.
Since then, MPs have been busy listening to the grievances of e-scooter riders - many of whom rely on personal mobility devices (PMDs) to earn a living - at their Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS).
On Tuesday evening, about 30 PMD riders met Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam to express their concerns regarding the ban, and the Nee Soon GRC MP said on Facebook on Wednesday he would convey their feelings to the Ministry of Transport and Cabinet.
Last night, another group of around 100 riders gathered at Block 644 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 to deliver a petition to Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, who is currently in Saudi Arabia accompanying President Halimah Yacob on a state visit.
More than 50 PMD users and a handful of retailers also met Minister for Social and Family Development (MSF) and MP for Jurong GRC, Mr Desmond Lee, at his MPS at a multi-purpose hall in Jurong West.
The riders hoped the ban could be lifted if there was stricter enforcement and Mr Lee told the group that he would submit a letter highlighting their pleas to the Ministry of Transport.
Speaking to the media later, he said: "I will put their concerns across to my colleagues at the Ministry of Transport (and) I've offered to put them (PMD delivery riders) in touch with my team here, on-site from both my branch as well as the union officers from the NTUC, to take down any concerns they may have.
"(As) I'm from MSF, we want to make sure that if they have urgent concerns over what has happened to their livelihoods, we will be in a position to assist them as quickly as we can."
One letter handed to Mr Lee last night was signed off by 33 retailers and in it, they asked for e-scooters to be allowed on roads with a speed limit of 25kmh.
Mr Raymond Tan, 35, a full-time GrabFood delivery rider, was one of those who wanted the e-scooter ban lifted, with stricter enforcement of the rules.
Mr Tan, who was retrenched after an accident with a forklift that left his right leg badly injured, is the sole breadwinner in his family. He lives with his grandmother and mother in a three-room flat, and he told The New Paper last night: "It is physically impossible for me to ride a bicycle.
"I was shocked when they announced the ban. I was so lost I cried. In 24 hours, our rice bowl had been taken from us."
Mr Lee acknowledged that the concerns were "genuine Singaporean concerns" and said: "These rules have been put in place for a reason, but we also want to look after these (PMD users and retailers) Singaporeans."
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