Logan investigates Lime scooters, bikes, to crack traffic congestion

The wheels are turning in Logan to solve the city’s peak-hour traffic gridlock — and electric scooters could be part of the mix, if Lime scooters has its way.

THE wheels are turning within Logan to solve the city’s peak-hour traffic gridlock — and electric scooters could be part of the mix.

Imagine parking your car at a hub and jumping on an electric scooter for a 10 minute ride to get to Griffith University or to work at Logan Hospital.

Lime scooters waiting for customers in Brisbane. Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

This was one of the ideas discussed this month when Logan City Council started preliminary research on ride-hire operations, including bikes and scooters from various companies.

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Although it was early days, council’s planning chair councillor Russell Lutton said council was seeking feedback from other councils, including Brisbane, which had tested ride-hire bikes and scooters including those from Lime Scooters.

Lime Scooters trial in Brisbane ends on Friday, March 29, with a vote on whether to allow the e-scooters to stay in the city expected to pass council on Tuesday.

Logan could be a enticing alternative to Brisbane for Lime, which will be slugged $570 a scooter starting next month by Brisbane as a cost-recovery measure.

Cr Lutton said representatives from Lime Scooters were taken on a tour of Logan last month after discussions between Lime officials and council.

Although he remained tight lipped on the odds of Lime setting up in Logan, Cr Lutton said

council had no plans to pay the scooter company to establish a presence in the city.

“If Logan City Council were to initiate a ride-hire transport operation, it would be put to

open tender with a range of businesses invited to bid,” he said.

Lime scooters have looked at Logan. Picture: Miles Kemp

One of the city’s worst traffic snarls occurs at the intersection of Loganlea Rd and Kingston Rd in morning peak hour.

The notorious intersection is less than 2.5km from the hospital and about 4.5km from Griffith University.

Lime scooters Nelson Savanh said scenarios such as getting people to park outside busy commercial precincts and use the hire vehicles to travel small distances would help alleviate congestion.

He said electric scooters may not be the whole answer in Logan “but every little bit helped”.

“Certainly for places such as Meadowbrook and Beenleigh, where there are major facilities serving a highly mobile population, these bikes and scooters could work well — especially near train stations.

“We’ll keep working closely with council to investigate the options.

“We understand the need to pay a fair fee to ratepayers to support council’s communication with scooter riders and investment in active transport infrastructure,” he said.

Going on the cost charged in Brisbane, a commuter who picked up a Lime scooter from the Waterford Tavern would pay less than $5 to travel the 10 minutes to Logan Hospital.

Grab a scooter? One day it may be possible to ride an electric scooter from busy Kingston Rd to Griffith University.

Mr Savanh said charges were based on a $1 flag fee and then 30c a minute.

It is still not known whether the council will go out to tender for e-scooter companies but council said it had already had interest from other parties.

The scooters were discussed in council in council committees in January after council adopted its Way2Go transport strategy in December.

Bikes were part of the Way2Go plan, which council said had a focus on creating a high-quality “active” transport network.

One of the strategy’s goals was to plan and deliver a cycle infrastructure, complete with charging and storage facilities, which would link to the existing cycle network.

Scooters are already in Brisbane. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

An officer report said the aim was to be prepared for an anticipated increased uptake of e-bikes.

Council has also investigated using alternatively fuelled vehicles and low-carbon emission vehicles including Teslas in its fleet.

The investigation also considered the feasibility of providing public electronic vehicle charging stations at council facilities.

Council is yet to consider the details, timing and funding of those projects.

City Treasury chair councillor Trevina Schwarz said staff efforts to make sure council’s fleet of vehicles was not a high polluter, had paid dividends.

“The Motor Trades Association of Queensland has stringently audited our Marsden workshop to ascertain that we are doing what we say we do to minimise our environmental impact — and we’ve passed with flying colours.”