‘Many people recognize that this ‘micromobility’ is an important means of transportation for the community,’ said Edwards.
“[But] In our view, the infrastructure to support it (bike lanes, proper places where scooters can be parked without being dangerous) has not yet caught up.without it [that]…they will be an ongoing issue. “
Chris Potaris, chief executive of the Council of the Aging Victoria, said his organization had heard similar concerns from older pedestrians and said he was hoping that before the trial was extended or scooters were legalized permanently. said it needs to be addressed.
“The laws and regulations surrounding the use of electric scooters must be effectively enforced to benefit everyone, not just those riding electric scooters,” said Potalis.
is more than 400 people hospitalized in Victoria in 2021/22 results A year after a spike in crashes involving rental or private electric scooters. At least two people died last year.
Data from Monash University’s Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit showed that at least five of these crashes involved scooters hitting pedestrians, but no figures were available to indicate the total number of injured pedestrians. did.
Victoria Police said they had recorded 252 e-scooter crashes in the 12 months to 1 December. During that time he was fined 275 for riding on the sidewalk, 208 for not wearing a helmet and 275 for carrying more than two passengers. Police seized 15 privately owned scooters, a spokesman said.
Stephen Coulter of e-scooter consultancy Zipidi said rental scooters are limited to 20 km/h speeds and are limited to where they can be traveled with GPS trackers, so they are sold at major retailers and commonly used around Melbourne. said to be safer than the private scooters
“I think the government has been very slow to legalize proven transportation,” he said. “As soon as we legalize them, we can tell the public what the rules are, what the vehicle standards should be, and enforce them.”
Governments around the world are considering whether e-scooter rental companies can safely operate in major cities. Stockholm last year halved the number of scooters available for rent and banned sidewalk parking.
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Paris limits the speed of scooters to 10 km/h in some areas, and Rome imposes a 6 km/h speed limit in shared pedestrian areas. Meanwhile, the Norwegian capital Oslo has banned night rentals to reduce clashes. The Melbourne trials are limited to 20km/h.
Lime spokesperson Will Peters said he was “thrilled” about the extended trial period after demonstrating the company’s scooters were “a safe, reliable and highly-utilized transportation service” in the first 11 months. I do,” he said.
A Neuron spokesperson said, “The vast majority of people ride responsibly and more than 99.99% of trips are completed successfully.”
Melbourne Mayor Sally Capp said scooters are “a green, sustainable and user-friendly form of transportation” and said the extended trial period was “a good opportunity to continue working on the safest methods available for use on our streets and roads.” ” was welcomed.
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https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/victoria/e-scooter-trial-rolls-on-despite-fears-from-the-footpath-20230103-p5ca2z.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_national Melbourne e-scooter trials begin despite fears from sidewalks