Certis refutes driver's claims of lack of 'compassion' after stopping at sheltered zebra crossing to fetch mum from dialysis

A Mercedes driver in Singapore left his car at a sheltered zebra crossing so he and his helper could wheel his mother from her dialysis treatment.

After returning to the car with his passengers, he was allegedly issued a ticket by a Certis officer.

In a TikTok post on Oct. 10 that has since gone viral, the man accused the officer of not showing compassion, claiming that he only made a "brief stop" as it was "raining" and there was no other covered route.

In response, Certis refuted the man's account that it was raining, and emphasised that its officers are required to uphold safety regulations in accordance with Singapore's traffic laws.

The driver's account

In the user's photo, a Certis officer was shown standing next to a black car that had stopped at the zebra crossing.

A woman who is supposedly the helper was pushing a wheelchair towards the car.

The user claimed he had stopped at the pedestrian crossing briefly as he was in a "rush" to fetch his mother, a wheelchair user, from dialysis.

The user said that while the location was not ideal, "the situation demanded it" as it was raining.

"The reality is that there are limited options for people with disabilities in the area", the user wrote.

After returning with his mother, the officer issued him a ticket despite his explanation.

The user said this left a "sour taste" as, while there is a need for rules, he felt that in situations like these, compassion should take precedence.

The post was captioned, "Is meeting the quota more important?"

It has garnered more than 250,000 views as of Oct. 14.

In response to a suggestion to park at a sheltered drop-off point instead, the user claimed that the zebra crossing is the "only location" there which is sheltered and accessible by wheelchair.

He also said that if it was not raining, he would have parked at a nearby car park and taken a longer route with the wheelchair.

"I hope that in the future, enforcement will be more considerate and humane, particularly in situations involving caregiving", the user wrote in the post.

He did not indicate if he would appeal against the ticket.

Users criticise driver's actions

Many online users agreed with the officer's actions from a safety perspective.

Some pointed out that stopping or parking a car at a zebra crossing can inconvenience pedestrians and block the view of cars coming from behind.

Others pointed out alternatives that the user could have taken, such as sending just his helper to fetch his mother so the car is not left unattended, or parking at a car park and using umbrellas to ferry the passengers.

A few users pointed out that there was a sheltered walkway just in front of the zebra crossing, where the user could have waited instead.

Others questioned the user's claim that it was raining as none of the pedestrians in his picture were wearing raincoats or holding an umbrella.

Based on the user's picture, the incident appeared to have taken place at a pedestrian crossing next to 128 Ang Mo Kio Street 12.

There is a dialysis centre located in Block 128.

There are two Housing and Development Board (HDB) car parks located within walking distance from the purported crossing.

One is an open-air car park and another is a multi-storey car park.

Certis statement

In response to Mothership's enquiries, a Certis spokesperson said Certis is aware of, and strongly refutes, the account of events made on the TikTok post.

Based on body-worn camera footage, the officer was carrying out routine patrol duties when he observed an unattended car parked at the single white zig-zag line near the zebra crossing, the spokesperson said.

Top image from lattesweetheart/TikTok & Canva