No more e-scooting on the road, enforcement to begin Jan 1, 2021 - Police

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur Police will impose legal action on individuals riding electric scooters (e-scooters) on the road from Jan 1 next year.

Kuala Lumpur Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department chief ACP Zulkefly Yahya said his department had been receiving many complaints from the public of e-scooters on the road.

"E-scooters are not allowed to be used on the road, and it is a nuisance for other road users, besides being dangerous as it could cause accidents.

"These people (e-scooter riders) can only ride in the gazetted areas, that is, in the playgrounds, and permitted areas around shopping centres," he told reporters here.

He said e-scooter riders would need to apply for a special permission licence from the director-general of the Road Transport Department (JPJ) if they wished to use the vehicle on the road.

"So far, the police have identified three areas in the city where the scooters are being actively used, namely around Dataran Merdeka, KLCC and Bukit Bintang,” he said, adding that the police were currently only advising the users to stop riding them.

Zulkefly said beginning Jan 1, action could be taken under the Road Transport Act, apart from imposing fines on errant individuals.

The use of e-scooters, categorised as micromobility vehicles, became popular in May, and has become a trend in today's society as it is easily available and allows pedestrians to quickly move from one place to another.

-- BERNAMA