‘They were faster than my car’: Teens on e-bike whiz past vehicles on Sengkang roads
Traffic in Sengkang was light when Stomper Lee was driving there on the evening of Oct 4.
But instead of cruising peacefully, he was shocked to see a pair of teenagers whizzing by on an e-bike.
Noting how fast they were going, Lee became concerned for the teens’ safety, as well as that of other road users.
Teens on e-bike allegedly go faster than cars in Sengkang
Lee shared several clips with Stomp, showing the teens from the first time he spotted them at about 6.45pm.
He told Stomp that the teens were initially at a pedestrian crossing heading from Sengkang Central towards a HDB estate.
Just before reaching the end of the crossing, they veered onto the main road and carried on riding, keeping up with other vehicles.
Even so, Lee said that motorists did not honk at the teens, who appeared to move faster than cars and motorcycles around them.
“My car cam shows that I’m driving about 50kmh or so. They were faster than me,” he remarked.
At one point, the teens ended up just behind Lee’s car before they managed to overtake him.
When Lee later overtook the teens and then slowed down to turn left at Sengkang East Avenue, he said that the pillion rider “turned back to look at me as if I did something wrong”.
He subsequently turned at the junction while the teens went straight ahead.
‘Quite a few such riders in Sengkang area’: Stomper
When asked if he had seen the teens on the e-bike before, Lee said he could not recall or recognise their faces, but has seen “quite a few such riders in the Sengkang area”.
He has reported the matter to the traffic police, but hopes that sharing his encounter will lead to stricter enforcement of the laws governing the use of e-bikes.
According to the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) OneMotoring website, e-bikes or Power-Assisted Bicycles (PABs) are allowed on roads and shared paths, such as park connectors.
Riders must wear protective gear, such as a helmet, and may face penalties if they fail to follow requirements.
The motor power output of a PAB must also be progressively reduced and finally cut off as the bicycle reaches 25kmh or sooner, if the cyclist stops pedalling.
Penalties for riding a non-compliant PAB are:
- A fine of up to $20,000, a jail term of up to 24 months, or both for the first offence
- A fine of up to $40,000, a jail term of up to 48 months, or both for the second offence
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