Who should use PMAs? 'Agile' rider allegedly gets up and walks into 7-Eleven in AMK
Welcome to Stomping Ground - a space where Stompers share reflections, personal essays and social commentaries that spark conversation and insight.
An Ang Mo Kio resident witnessed something that didn't sit quite right with her on July 4.
Stomper Judith was near a row of shophouses at Block 416 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 when she briefly stopped along a 5-foot passageway to take a phone call at about 7.18pm.
That was when a man in his 30s rode up on a mobility scooter and allegedly 'shooed' her to move aside so that he could park his device where she was standing.
"I was surprised when he got off the scooter and walked with ease into the 7-Eleven store," said the Stomper.
"Why is an agile person using a mobility scooter?"
Under the Active Mobility Act (AMA), mobility scooters fall under personal mobility aids (PMAs), which are intended for those with genuine medical needs, such as physical disabilities or chronic conditions.
While new Land Transport Authority (LTA) regulations requiring a formal assessment for mobility scooter use are only expected to take effect in the fourth quarter of 2025 and enforcement is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2026, the Stomper questioned the current lack of accountability.
"Who is doing the 'policing'?" she asked.
"It's been seven years since the AMA came into force in May 2018, yet misuse of mobility scooters continues, especially in narrow, crowded areas like HDB five-foot passageways!"
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