Fine city: New rules for Brisbane’s e-scooters

A new round of increases to Queensland government fines, this time targeting e-scooters, will see riders charged up to $575 for speeding, and more than $1000 for holding a mobile phone.

The reforms include speed-limit reductions, mandated warning bells, and a tiered system of fines for offences that didn’t previously exist or were lumped into general categories of non-compliance.

A sample of the ubiquitous e-scooters used to zip people around Brisbane footpaths.Credit: Toby Crockford

From November 1, anyone caught travelling up to 13 kilometres above the new 12km/h speed limit on shared footpaths will face a $143 fine, Transport Minister Mark Bailey announced on Saturday.

That rises to $215 for speeding up to 20km/h above the limit and continues to scale up to $575 for people daring to ride more than 30km/h over the limit.

The 25km/h limit remains in place for local streets and bike infrastructure.

The current speeding fine for e-scooters, e-skateboards and similar personal mobility devices is a flat $191.

New e-scooter fines at a glance.

Exceed the speed limit by:

• 1-13km/h = $143
• 14-20km/h = $215
• 20-30km/h = $359
• >30km/h = $575

Ride without a helmet = $143

Doubling (riding with two or more people) = $143

Holding a phone = $1078

Drinking alcohol while riding = $431

Using scooter on a prohibited road = $172

Speed limits will be reduced to 12km/h on footpaths and shared paths, unless otherwise signed. The 25km/h limit elsewhere, including along bike infrastructure and local streets remains the same.

Anyone caught without a helmet or with a pillion passenger will be slugged $143. Add another $431 for drinking alcohol while riding.

Holding a mobile phone, including checking online maps, is a new offence and will attract a fine of $1078. This is the same amount for holding a phone or not wearing a seatbelt while driving a car.

Another change will enable e-scooter users to access bike paths on roads with a speed limit of 50km/h, and any on-road bike lane that is physically separated.

Bailey said the reforms were developed in consultation with riders, cyclists, councils, disability advocates and suppliers of the rental e-scooters frequently used through Brisbane’s CBD, often by late-night revellers.

The Queensland Ambulance Service recorded five e-scooter incidents across the state on Friday night and Saturday morning, including a man taken to hospital with head and chest injuries after a crash at Kangaroo Point.

“We have flagged that these changes have been in the pipeline, so users have had plenty of notice,” Bailey said.

“We want every person who uses our footpaths, bikeways and bike lanes to be safe from harm, and these reforms go a long way in tightening the Queensland road rules around this new technology.”

The new fine regime is the latest in a series of increases to come into effect this year.

In addition to bigger speeding fines, new mobile phone and seatbelt cameras installed at secret locations across Queensland have already netted well over $100 million in fines since they were introduced in November last year.

The government is also now hiding speed cameras in roadworks and school zone signs.

Queensland has by far the biggest fines in the nation for phone and seatbelt offences, drawing warnings from social service organisations about what a $1078 hit could mean to disadvantaged families.

The government says the money it makes from road fines is invested back into road safety. However, this includes basic upgrades – at intersections, for example – that would have otherwise come from other government funding streams.