Conflicts involving personal mobility devices (PMDs) in Singapore are a contentious issue.

Perhaps not in the legal sense as much, there's already quite a bit of regulation on them after all, but in its co-existence on the road with pedestrians.

Heated argument between PMD rider and pedestrians

This video uploaded by Mohamed Shamirrudan shows the underlying tension between pedestrians and PMD riders.

The incident appears to take place near Bishan Park.

Here is the video:

What happened

It's a long video so we will break down the pertinent moments:

- Elderly man and Shamirrudan appear to have had an altercation of sorts. From further interactions, the elderly man apparently judged the rider as going too fast and did something to stop him.

- There appears to be a distinct disagreement on who did what. The elderly man insists he merely stopped him (he denies pushing him) while the rider insinuats that perhaps more force, and vulgarities were used.

- The elderly man also accidentally pushed his wife down while angrily gesticulating at the rider, this somehow makes the elderly man even angrier at the rider, even though the rider had nothing to do with his wife falling over.

- At the 45 second mark, the wife walks away from the entire fiasco, perhaps the cleverest thing anyone does in the entire video.

- A calm man wearing sunglasses tries to defuse the situation.

- All three men agrees that the police should be called.

- There's a telling sign of the lack of knowledge in what constituted e-bikes or PMDs. As the elderly man warns the rider that if he was indeed using an e-bike (he was not) the rider would be in deep trouble.

- Even with the neutral party confirming that it was indeed an e-scooter, and thus allowed on the pathway, the elderly man insisted that it should be ridden on the road itself.

- After the police were called, an awkward but welcome two-minute silence is had.

- In the midst of the silence and wait for the police, the elderly man approaches a young mother and her son to regale them with the injustice he suffered at the hand of the e-scooter rider.

- And here's the thing, even though the lady did not know exactly what happened, she did give her opinion that PMDs are dangerous if they are speeding.

- At this moment, almost comically, another e-scooter rider (who appears to know the cameraman) arrives on the scene.

- He skids to a halt a good distance away from the man.

- This was somehow construed by the elderly man as a declaration of war, and he promptly starts filming the newcomer.

The new PMD rider's confusion was evident:

"Eh sialah what I do, I just came?"

- The elderly man promptly denounces them as gangsters for some reason. And the two original stars of the video trade barbs on who was in the wrong once more.

- The police arrive at around 12-minute mark, which was when the video ends as well.

Takeaways

Shamirrudan apparently declined to pursue the case against the elderly man with the police because he considered it a waste of his time.

Shamirrudan also revealed in the comment section that the elderly man had apparently been disturbing other delivery riders in the area as well.

Which is an issue, because PMDs don't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

During the entire altercation, three other PMDs drove passed the scene, even more than the number of cyclists.

Which seems to showcase the prevalence of PMDs in general.

It was not only seen in the agitated man's treatment of the PMD riders.

In fact, the two passersby gave a telling indictment of the general mindset towards PMDs as well.

Both pedestrians brought up other times where e-scooter riders had been going too fast on the road, although they did acknowledge they did not know how fast this particular rider was going.

Every PMD rider appears to have to bear the weight for negative traits displayed by a few bad apples.

Which perhaps shouldn't be the case.

Image from Shamirrudan's Facebook