KUALA LUMPUR: City police will crack down on individuals riding electric scooters (e-scooters) on public roads from Jan 1 next.
Kuala Lumpur Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department chief Zulkefly Yahya said his department had been receiving many 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.
“These people (e-scooter riders) can only ride in gazetted areas, that is in playgrounds and permitted areas in shopping centres,” he told reporters here.
He said 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.
“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 the users to stop riding them.
Zulkefly said beginning Jan 1, action could be taken under the Road Transport Act, with fines imposed on errant individuals.
The use of e-scooters, categorised as micro-mobility vehicles, became popular in May.
They are easily available and allow pedestrians to quickly move from one place to another.