Dangerous Smith St intersection can’t be fixed due to underground telecom infrastructure
A notorious CBD corner which has caused numerous e-scooter mishaps cannot be made any safer than it is, due to underground infrastructure. VIDEO OF ONE OF THE LATEST INCIDENTS HERE.
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THE notorious Smith St and Knuckey St corner which has caused numerous e-scooter mishaps cannot be made any safer than it is, due to underground infrastructure.
Darwin council engineering and city services acting general manager Nik Kleine said the northern corner of the intersection, which had seen a number of e-scooter riders eat the ground after their ride jackknifed over the kerb, could not be turned into a ramp around the whole corner, like the rest of the intersection.
“This location has a number of underground services and a very large telecommunication pit,” he said.
“Due to this, the kerb cannot be modified as it provides protection to these services.”
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Mr Kleine said council was looking at other measures to ensure riders were aware of the dangers of the corner. “There are two ramps that provide safe access to the footpath from the road way,” he said.
“This section of kerb between the two ramps has been painted bright yellow to identify the change in grade and to provide delineation to the safe access points.”
Mr Kleine said council could only do so much when it came to user safety and riders had to take responsibility for their actions on the e-scooters.
“It is very unfortunate that a person had an incident on an e-scooter at the intersection of Smith Street and Knuckey Street over the weekend,” he said.
“It is the responsibility of the individual riding an e-scooter to do this in a safe manner by riding in control of the vehicle, to prevailing conditions, and to wear a helmet.
“Council welcomes any improvements Neuron are introducing to the safe use of e-scooters in the city.”
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A Neuron Mobility spokeswoman said the company focused more on how it could enhance the equipment and the software to improve safety rather than focusing on suburban infrastructure. “To enhance safety and ensure people ride in the best areas we use geofencing technology to control slow-zones, no-ride zones and no-parking zones,” she said.
“In Darwin, we have various no-parking and no-ride zones, for example currently there is a no-ride zone in place in Mitchell Street from 7pm-6am and a slow speed zone of 10km per hour extending to Smith Street, from 7pm-6am daily, encompassing the Smith and Knuckey intersection and late night venues on Smith Street.”
Neuron has committed to making ongoing improvements to the way they operate in Darwin.
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