E-scooter rollout expanded to eastern suburbs

There are 100 more opportunities to catch an e-scooter around Adelaide from today, with another council area opening its doors to the technology. Have your say.

Options for commuting into the CBD from the east have increased with Neuron bringing a fleet of 100 e-scooters to City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters from today.

The fleet will cover a 16 square kilometre riding area, from Kent Town to Payneham, allowing more people to use e-scooters to travel locally as well as commute into Adelaide’s CBD.

The service will complement Neuron’s existing e-bike program that launched in the city in December 2020.

The City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters becomes the fifth council in Adelaide to take on e-scooters, joining Adelaide, Charles Sturt, West Torrens and Port Adelaide Enfield.

A recent Neuron survey found that 62 per cent of riders said a larger operating area would make them use e-scooters more often.

Neuron Mobility chief executive Zachary Wang said safety is the top priority for the company.

“It dictates our e-scooter design and also the way we operate them,” he said.

Neuron’s N3 e-scooters have larger wheels and wider footplates, to give higher levels of safety and stability.

Neuron is bringing e-scooters to the City of Norwoord Payneham and St Peters. Picture: Supplied

The e-scooters feature an app-controlled helmet lock, which secures a safety helmet to the e-scooter, electronically releasing it to use at the start of the booking.

Riders can access voice guidance to educate them on how to travel safely, a Follow My Ride feature, which allows riders to share their trip with friends and family in real time; and a triple-0 emergency button, which can tell if someone has had a fall, then help them call the emergency services.

A map showing new e-scooter riding zone in the Norwood, Payneham & St Peters Council area (shaded blue), and current riding zone (shaded green). Picture: Neuron Mobility

The City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters e-scooter trial will run for six months, until November 12.

Under South Australian road rules the age limit for e-scooter users is 18 years old.

An e-scooter is limited to 15 km/h for the duration of the trial and restricted even further to 10km/hr along arterial roads.

Riders are not allowed to use e-scooters on footpaths or roadway along The Parade, Norwood, between Osmond Terrace and Portrush Road, including the Norwood Mall, at any time. If rider enter the ‘exclusion zone’, riders may be charged a penalty fee by the operator.

A City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters spokeswoman said pedal-assisted e-bikes and e-scooters have become popular in many cities around the world to provide an alternative transport option for short journeys and daily commutes.

“They can reduce the amount of short car trips, lowering congestion and emissions,” she said.