Starting January 1st, 2021, e-scooters, which became a more common sight on the roads this year, will never again see the light of day in Malaysia.
This, following numerous complaints from the public on the danger posed by e-scooters on the road.
“E-scooters are not allowed to be used on the road. They are a nuisance to other road users, besides being dangerous as they can cause accidents,” said Kuala Lumpur Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department chief Zulkefly Yahya.
If you fail to comply, you face a RM300 fine for the first offence, and a RM1,000 fine or three months jail for the second offence, while legal action could also be taken under the Road Transport Act.
“So far, police have identified three areas in the city where the scooters are being actively used - around Dataran Merdeka, KLCC and Bukit Bintang,” he said, adding that the police were currently only advising users to stop riding these devices.
But while you won’t be able to use e-scooters on public roads, there will still be designated areas where you can ride them.
Zulkefly said that e-scooters can only be ridden in gazetted areas such as playgrounds and permitted areas around shopping centres.
E-scooter riders would need to apply for special permission from the director-general of the Road Transport Department (JPJ) if they wished to use them on public roads.
by Kyle Roshen Jacob
