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Goh Meng Seng, Tan Kin Lian to attend e-scooter rally

(PHOTOS: All Singapore Stuff/Facebook, Yahoo News Singapore)
(PHOTOS: All Singapore Stuff/Facebook, Yahoo News Singapore)

SINGAPORE — Opposition politician Goh Meng Seng and 2011 presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian are among those slated to speak at an upcoming “peaceful demonstration” on Saturday (23 November) against the recent ban of e-scooters on footpaths.

The five-hour event, to be held at Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park, is expected to be attended by about 500 people, said organiser and online media outlet All Singapore Stuff on Thursday.

Goh, who is the People’s Power Party chief, told Yahoo News Singapore that he has been approached by the organisers to speak at the event but said his speech has not been finalised yet.

Goh was recently slammed by Senior Minister of State for Health and Transport Lam Pin Min for “politicising the issue and stoking the emotions of those present” at a dialogue session last Tuesday where about 300 food delivery riders were present.

While Lam, who is the Member of Parliament for Sengkang West SMC, did not mention Goh’s name, the latter was observed behaving aggressively and shouting during the event.

Tan said in a Facebook post that he would be suggesting measures to achieve the goal of creating safe walkways “without resorting to a ban” during his speech at the rally.

“We can deal with errant riders with appropriate means, but we should not penalise the safe riders just because of the behavior of the errant riders,” he added.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, All Singapore Stuff advised attendees to attend the event in “casual wear” with no delivery uniforms allowed. A personal mobility device (PMD) light-up has been scheduled to take place during the rally.

The event has been described on its Facebook page as “a peaceful rally to revert the ban on personal mobility devices (PMDs)”.

“We decided to co-host this event because we support the PMD delivery riders whose rice bowls were taken away from them overnight, and we felt they need a voice to make themselves heard,” it said in response to media queries.

About 7,000 food delivery riders from GrabFood, Deliveroo, and Foodpanda use PMDs.

The banning of e-scooters from footpaths, which took effect on 5 November, was implemented following a spate of accidents, sometimes fatal, involving PMDs and pedestrians.

One such fatality included 65-year-old cyclist Ong Bee Eng, who died in September after a rider who was using a non-compliant e-scooter collided with her.

The ban triggered a wave of reactions in Singapore from netizens, food delivery riders, food delivery companies, PMD retailers and sharing operators.

Some have come out in support of food delivery riders reliant on e-scooters, including 127 university students who issued a statement to media calling on authorities to consider the riders’ demands.

Separately, over 25,300 online users to date have signed a Change.org petition calling for the ban to be rescinded.

To allow e-scooters users time to adjust to the ban, an “advisory period” has been implemented until the end of the year. More than 760 warnings have been issued to errant riders by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as of 10 November.

From 1 January, there will be strict enforcement of the ban, with those caught flouting it liable to a fine of up to $2,000 and/or up to three month’s jail.

Following the ban, a $7 million grant was announced by the LTA to help affected riders using e-scooters transition to other transport devices.

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and its partners later unveiled a relief fund as well as a training and career support programme for affected riders.

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NTUC unveils relief fund and training support for food delivery riders affected by e-scooter ban

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Foodpanda offering e-bikes to its e-scooter riders who qualify under new scheme

Grab’s food delivery riders can apply for e-scooter trade-in grant from Friday