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Singapore— As the country deals with the new ban on e-scooters on public footpaths, which was announced in Parliament on November 4, others have begun to weigh in on the issue, including opposition leader Goh Meng Seng, who is the head of the People’s Power Party (PPP).
Mr Goh has weighed in on the S$7 million grant from the government for PMD riders to switch to e-bikes, an issue that he has talked about for several years now, according to a report from mothership.
He is quoted in the report as saying that Lam Pin Min, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Transport “says that he use S$7 million for people to change to e-bike. You change to e-bike, you got to go by the road and it’s more dangerous for them. And yet he says he is more concerned about safety. To me that’s rubbish.”
The opposition leader attended the Meet-the-People Session (MPS) of Dr Lam, who is the Member of Parliament for Sengkang West, on Tuesday, November 12.
Around 280 people had come out to meet Dr Lam, in the biggest MPS among several that have occurred since the announcement of the e-scooter ban, including meetings with MP for Nee Soon GRC K Shanmugam, the country’s Home Affairs and Law Minister, as well as with MP for Jurong GRC Desmond Lee, who is also the Minister for Social and Family Development. Under a hundred people had attended these sessions.
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The meeting with Dr Lam, which was held at Anchorvale Community Club to accommodate the size of the crowd, was attended by many food delivery riders from GrabFood and Foodpanda, with mothership reporting that some even brought their families and children to the MPS.
Mr Goh, apparently, spoke up at the meeting with Dr Lam, and while what he said exactly has gone unreported, he was cheered several times by the MPS attendees.
The Senior Minister of State for Transport is said to have told Mr Goh that they could talk at a later time so as to give the PMD riders a chance to ask their questions and to air their thoughts.
But this was not the only MPS that the PPP head attended that night. He also went to the one held by Chee Hong Tat, MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh, and Senior Minister of State.
Mr Goh shared a video of him at Mr Chee’s MPS on his Facebook page.
The PPP leader’s main concern seems to be road safety for delivery riders when the switch to e-bikes have been made, especially if Singapore’s roads are suddenly inundated with new riders.
Mr Goh asked on his Facebook account on November 13, “Will he (referring to Lam Pin Min) ban Ebikes when more fatal accidents occur after he gave grants for delivery riders to change to it?”
When a netizen asked, “What exactly is your solution?” Dr Goh replied that the PPP has a policy position.
“We have given a comprehensive long term solution.. To create the whole Ecosystem for PMD, not just piece meal bits and pieces solution.” -/TISG
Read related: Netizens increasingly unhappy with PMD ban
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