Wee Ka Siong: Persons with Disabilities allowed to use personal mobility aids at pedestrian crossings

The Ministry of Transport has recently announced an outright ban on various micro-mobility vehicles on public roads which also include personal mobility aids that are used by Persons with Disabilities (PWD) or individuals with health issues. Following public outcry, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has issued a statement to provide clarity on the usage of personal mobility aids.

Dr Wee said there is still some confusion among the public, particularly from groups advocating for persons with disabilities regarding the regulations on the use of personal mobility aids (PMA). He explained that personal mobility aids (PMA) in general refers to vehicles designed and built to be used by individuals with movement problems, particularly the PWD group.

He said the use of PMA is prohibited on the road with traffic flow that involves other motor vehicles such as cars, sand trucks and buses. If PMAs are permitted on public roads, there’s a risk of road fatalities or severe injuries. The ban is to prevent the misuse of PMA by healthy individuals without any restrictions on the road.

He added that the use of PMA is allowed on non-road surfaces as it is outside the scope of the Road Transport Act 1987 and the Road Traffic Rules. This means PMAs can be used on other surfaces and locations such as shopping malls, pedestrian lanes, shop sidewalks and parks, which are under the jurisdiction of the relevant authorities and owners.

Dr Wee said the policy was formulated after the Ministry of Transport held a discussion with the Welfare Department, OKU Central and PWD associations on 23rd April 2021 to get their input on the prohibition of the use of micro-mobility. To clear any doubt, he said individuals who fall under the PWD category or those with health issues, can ride their PMAs on pedestrian crossings to get to the other side of the road. He reminded users to be careful and mindful of their safety and others when crossing the road.

The confusion appears to have originated from the Ministry of Transport’s notice that was published on Facebook yesterday. As shown above, it is mentioned that micro-mobility vehicles under the category of Moped, Personal Mobility Devices (PMD) and Personal Mobility Aids (PMA) are prohibited on the road and on any part of the road including pedestrian crossing. Obviously, it doesn’t make sense for PMAs to be banned on pedestrian crossings as the intended users can’t get off the vehicle and push themselves through to the other side of the road.

Although Dr Wee’s statement provides greater clarity for pedestrian crossing, there are still issues that affect the disabled community. According to The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, the restrictions and limitations introduced by the new regulations appear to reflect limited understanding and lack of consultation with the disabled community. These group of individuals rely on their personal mobility aids such as mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs to get around and they are often forced to use the road as walkways and pavements in Malaysia are not disabled-friendly.

As we’ve experienced recently in Kuala Lumpur, there’s a lack of proper infrastructure and consistent pavement to ensure the safe and convenient use of eScooters and bicycles. You can check out our video below:

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