Long-term fate of controversial e-scooters revealed

Melbourne e-scooter riders have been hit with a raft of fines for flouting the rules, with the future of the controversial scheme now decided.

E-scooters will stay on Melbourne’s roads with the controversial trial that was due to finish this month set to be extended.

The year-long trial which began on February 1, 2022, will continue across Melbourne, Yarra and Port Phillip councils next month.

New data obtained by the Herald Sun reveals there were 252 crashes involving e-scooters in the 12-month period between December 1, 2021 and November 30, 2022.

A total of 827 e-scooter infringements were issued by police during this period while 15 privately-owned e-scooters were impounded.

Of the penalties, 208 were for failure to wear a helmet, 275 for riding e-scooters on a footpath and 136 for carrying more than one person on an e-scooter.

Victoria Police said they would continue to enforce and educate riders on e-scooter rules.

“Riders are reminded that privately owned e-scooters continue to be prohibited on public roads, bicycle lanes and footpaths,” a police spokesman said.

More than 200 fines have been handed out to e-scooter riders not wearing helmets.

“Only e-scooters supplied by the approved trial operators in the approved local government areas are permitted for use.”

The Department of Transport said once the trial was complete an independent oversight panel would evaluate the benefits and risks of e-scooters and make recommendations about their future use.

“The trial was assessing the benefits and risks of e-scooters to better understand whether they can be safely regulated within the broader transport mix,” a department spokeswoman said.

The controversial e-scooter trial is set to be extended.

The e-scooter trial in Ballarat, which began on December 15, 2021, has also been extended to March 31 this year.

Neuron, one of the two participants in the trial, said e-scooters had been “embraced” by Victorians, with more than three million kilometres travelled since the launch.

“The overwhelming majority of people ride responsibly and feedback has been positive,” a spokeswoman said.

“E-scooters are a great way for locals as well as tourists to travel in a safe, convenient and environmentally friendly way.

“Heading into summer holidays rider and community safety remains our top priority. Our e-scooters are packed with cutting-edge features designed to make them as safe as possible for riders and pedestrians.”

Neuron said a recent rider survey showed that 45 per cent of all trips had replaced a car journey.

Data shows more than 8100 trips per day are taken on e-scooters across metropolitan Melbourne.

The trial continues.