Lime scooter death prompts calls for e-scooter ban in Brisbane

Calls are being made for e-scooters to be banned from Brisbane streets following the death of a man while riding one and a spate of serious injuries to members of the public. The Premier has also commented on the issue.

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Government would consider any measures that could make e-scooters safer, following calls to ban them in Brisbane after a rider died this week.

A 50-year-old man died in hospital on Thursday, a day after he fell at South Brisbane.

He suffered severe head injuries despite wearing a helmet and also had a heart attack.

Investigators are looking at whether the heart attack caused the fall.

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Ms Palaszczuk said she was aware of calls to reduce the current maximum speed of 25km/h but was waiting for the results of an investigation into the death of the Lime Scooter rider before deciding if more restrictions were necessary.

Luke Ferguson, 38 was injured while riding a Lime scooter. Pics supplied

Some of Luke Ferguson’s injuries. Pics supplied

“We will look very closely at the results of what contributed to the man’s death and of course if there’s any review that needs to be undertaken we will do that,” she said.

“Today is a day for family but of course we will look at any other measures that can make it safer for riders.”

Her comments came after the Pedestrian Council of Australia called for an immediate ban of e-scooters on footpaths in the wake of the Brisbane death, saying there needs to be tighter restrictions on their use by the Council.

Pedestrian Council Chairman Harold Scuby said the laws in place around the scooters currently were not sufficient and are not enforceable.

He said the death of a man, who suffered traumatic head injuries after falling from a Lime scooter, shows how dangerous they are.

X-rays of the broken collarbone suffered by Liam Thompson while riding a Lime scooter. Pic Supplied

He says risks to riders and pedestrians can’t be adequately managed and the city council should be banning scooters, not looking to issue a second company a licence to operate.

After the tragic death in Brisbane, the ambulance service detailed the injury toll from e-scooters.

Over a two-month period, 80 people were treated at two major hospitals, and 12 of them required surgery.

“We’ve been predicting this death for a long time,” he said.

“We want to sit down and talk to them about a maximum and enforced and enforceable speed limit of 10km for all vehicles on footpaths.

“We’d also like to know from the Queensland government exactly how much the crashes have cost the taxpayer to date.”

There are new calls for e-scooters, such as those provided by Lime, to be banned in Brisbane. Picture: AAP image, John Gass

Mr Scruby said the scooters operating under their current rules are not just a threat to riders but also pedestrians.

“I was walking on the Howard Smith Boardwalk on the weekend and it was like being in traffic.”

“We can’t see them coming (e-scooters) coming and some of them were doing 40kms an hour at least.”

Queensland Ambulance Service clinical director Tony Hucker says riders must be aware of the risks and make sure they’re wearing helmets and watching their speed on footpaths.

He said it wasn’t clear why the helmet failed to protect the man who suffered “traumatic” head injuries.

But he stopped short of backing a ban.

“We do know that people are getting hurt but if you are safe and careful it can be OK,” he told reporters.

“They are unique in a way because they have really small wheels and they’re more prone to catching in divets and holes … so there’s probably a higher risk, particularly at night.”

RACQ also said banning the scooters was a step too far, and RACQ spokesperson Paul Turner said the scooters have a lot of benefits for Brisbane residents.

“We have a real issue in the southeast with people not being able to easily get to and from public transport, and e-scooters can be one of the solutions to this problem,” he said in a statement.

“Scooters are filling a need in a hot, humid and occasionally very wet sub-tropical city like Brisbane where walking and riding are not always practical solutions to connecting with public transport.

Instead, he recommended more regulation from the Brisbane City Council and stricter enforcement of speed limits and the wearing of helmets by police.

“We need regulation that limits e-scooters to safer speeds on the footpath,” Mr Turner said.

“We need police to enforce rider behaviour and BCC to manage their footpaths to stop e-scooters being left in hazardous positions.”

The Brisbane City Council has expressed sympathy for the man’s family and says it won’t comment further, pending a police investigation into the death. The Lime scooter company has also expressed its condolences and is cooperating with the probe.