And exactly how is this the scooter’s fault. Police the riders who are doing the wrong thing. Don’t deny an environmentally friendly mode of transport to the rest of us.
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My normal commute on a train is approximately 40 minutes, barring delays. I recently rode my escooter into my workplace and back, which is around 10km away. It took me just short of 40 minutes. I was on bike tracks for the vast majority of the trip. According to Google maps, it would have taken me around 2 hours to walk the same distance. I also can park at my workplace (city), but the traffic still makes the trip around 30 to 40 minutes anyway.
Before the pandemic, I found myself squashed in with other commuters, and at the time, I would have gladly used the escooter if I had had it.
So I think there are circumstances where using an escooter makes sense, and their introduction could be a positive.
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Not necessarily. Close to CHOICE are several dedicated cycle paths as well as designated shared paths. There are also paths marked as being for pedestrians only, eg a bridge crossing path has a sign that reads CYCLISTS MUST DISMOUNT.
My experience has been that around 30% of cyclists ride wherever they choose, regardless of signage, and do not use a bell nor other sound to warn of their approach. I have been almost bowled over by a cyclist riding at speed on a path designated for pedestrians only, where a cycle path was parallel and only 20m away. I have seen children and pets struck by adult cyclists riding at speed on footpaths that are not shared paths.
I have never seen an attempt at policing the inconsiderate behaviour. I would prefer that electric scooters are not added into the mix unless policing is in force.
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I agree with you about people not stopping. Its not going away any time soon. Especially since that bike party was voted in NSW they seem to do what they like. Anyway police fined a person. Ive seen similar on highway patrol a cop has pulled over a person on a electric scooter who wasn’t registered. Who is to blame for allowing them to be sold and fly along. Butbsome cyclists are rude and don’t have courtesy for others.
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I’ll opine those signs are ‘over-planted’ (at least where I live) by zealous types who also would put the 40kph construction limits on roads from 2 km prior to 2km after the construction area.
I do not dismount for every sign, but I will wait for pedestrians to clear or slow to keep distance behind them, all vehicles to pass, and will dismount where there is related foot traffic congestion or anywhere a bike rider could cause a problem. Anecdotally about 98% of local riders seem the same, and there are comparatively few inconsiderate yahoos.
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And conversely, as a cyclist, although I rarely use cycle/shared paths, the nearest being 35km away, I often encounter pedestrians walking their dogs with lead right across the path, with earpieces in their ears listening to something that stops them hearing anything else, necessitating riding off the path to get around them, which is dangerous when trying to get back onto the path due to the drop-off from the concrete which is hidden by the grass.
Regarding scooters, safety developments outlined in this article:
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Beam seems to have a decent idea. I wonder if anyone has pointed this out to the NSW government. Seems like everyone else is onboard in OZ (except NT)
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This relates to a single hire operator. It adds one more tool to improve safety if it becomes the norm.
Currently compared to the hire scooter business, for rideables the norm is private ownership has zero regulation of the safety design, features, power or speed of e-scooters sold or imported into Australia.
The community relies on regulation concerning only their use in public spaces. EG QLD one of the first to adopt latest.
Possibly a loose use of the term ‘cowboys’ by the ABC to suggest positive progress. It can also be interpreted as a badge of success by those who choose not to abide?
P.S.
Does the best solution come from regulating importation and sales with enforceable standards? Accident - liability insurance also needs to be considered, especially considering the increased risk of interactions at speed on bikeways. Emergency treatment might be free, the Ambulance ride may be free, time off work or not being able to care at home etc, only your lawyer knows the best answer. Same situation if errant dog walking is the cause.
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… seen a similar one used (not by me), very amusing ! Even if the impolite walker doesn’t hear it, they do ‘notice’ the dog’s ‘reaction’ … best deployed when still at a safe distance.
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A loophole in the laws, jurisdiction dependent. The ‘out’ the insurance has makes a certain a mount of sense in that they cannot control riders doing the wrong thing, but it appears the victim’s only recourse might be to sue the rider who may or may not have any resources to pay if found liable. The lawyers always win. In Vic the TAC supports accident victims and rego has a charge to fund it. It appears there should be a way forward for future victims but will there be or will business interests prevail?
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It is disappointing because if the scooter rider causes a crash, it is highly likely they will be fined for something (most crashes which occur today someone gets fined for failing to give way, undue care and attention, dangerous driving/riding etc etc). As soon as the fine is issued, the insurance becomes void.
If a person other than the rider causes the accident, irrespective of whether they are fined or not, the scooter company again wouldn’t accept a claim because it wasn’t the rider at fault.
I can see why the statement it is junk insurance was made. The insurance is to tick an administrative checkbox to say they have it, but it isn’t worth the paper it is written on.
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A good round up on where every state and territory now stands.
Worthy of further comment is the lack of data collection. Injury rates, prevalence of illegal use, and patterns of use are all estimates or inferred. No one really knows. Hence those suggesting e-scooters are a net benefit to the community cannot genuinely support their view points factually.
- Are the numbers of riders drug and alcohol affected a serious risk?
- Are recreational riders and those with e-scooters more powerful and faster than legally permitted a serious risk?
- Is there a lack of enforcement suggesting governments and authorities are being two faced in their response?
- As the inadequate and unresolved accident liability debate becomes more prominent can Government bury it’s head in the sand and hope the problem will go away?
Those arguing for less restriction on e-mobility because it benefits the community might lead by offering a workable solution to each of these concerns.
P.S.
My recent experiences of inner and urban Melbourne, Brisbane and Newcastle are we are currently not in the grips of an e-scooter commuter revolution. Most of the encounters have been recreational users. Some may even be tourists. As an all weathers solution it appears they are far from favoured.
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I seem to recall recently reading that in NSW theres a proposal to have e-scooters speed limited in much the same way as mobility scooters are. So they would not be able to travel faster.
Drug and alcohol affected riders should be treated the same as affected drivers. Confiscation of scooter, or a method of banning them from the hire companies.
I saw a post in Whirlpool (https://www.whirlpool.net.au) that police are taking the increase in scooter riders more seriously, and recently had a blitz on fining people riding in Sydney.
There has to be some way of licensing riders, and insurance companies to be up front about coverage. There’s an insurance company which deals with mobility scooters (Blue Badge) but I havent looked into it very closely. Maybe they would cover e-scooters.
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There is a concern that the uptake of ‘cheap’ electric scooters with poor quality rechargeable (lithium ion) batteries may result in higher house fires:
While this relates to electric scooters, the same applies to other devices where poor quality batteries are used (either OEM or purchased replacements).
Knowing what batteries pose a potential risk will be a significant challenge to any consumer.
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A bit of disjoint PR between the sellers and road rules seems ongoing? A clarification for Victoria. I especially enjoy the concept of a ‘private escooter for private property.’
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Where ever the line is drawn it seems a portion of the community are prepared to express theirs through more than opinion.
Evident from the now on holiday young school kids (Qld) riding theirs in the local shopping centre car park. No helmets to hand but they were avoiding traffic by using the designated pedestrian walkways!
It’s unfortunate for those advocating for less restriction on the use of privately owned e-scooters (includes those with greater than legal power). The inspiration to fend off the fast approaching scooter with a shopping trolley is barely contained knowing it might end badly for both. For those less nimble it becomes a one way decision relying on the scooter rider to change before misjudging what might go wrong.
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Like railway gauge, each state has different laws. This website summaries laws in each state:
It is very much buyer beware at this point in time, and one’s planned use of an e-scooter may not he possible as use is highly restrictive in many states…or expensive when one gets fined.
It is also important to be aware of other state’s laws if one plans to take their e-scooter on holidays.
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After a recent death of a rider (driver?) losing control on a speed bump they are getting into the news.
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I do think e-scooters should be permitted on the roads (or sides of roads) BUT I also believe that it’s insane to consider them to be toys.
The riders should be licensed (that way they would need to go through some testing of some kind to make sure they can control the scooter).and subject to the same rules as everyone else.
They should be insured for third party and damage to property (why should mrs Smith who was clobbered on a footpath on the way to do her weekly shop be stuck with huge hospital bills).
Helmets and other protective gear should be mandatory.
There is a lot to be considered. I just hope that governments do take it seriously or there will be more cases of people being seriously injured or dying… simply because scooters are (relatively) cheap and easily accessible. They need to be age restricted too.
/end party pooper mode
Victoria appears on the verge of changing the laws to accommodate them.
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