‘Safe’ e-scooter speed limit advice ignored by Transport for NSW

Expert safety advice that e-scooters should only be allowed to go a maximum of 10km/hr on shared paths was ignored by Transport for NSW in the drafting of new speed limit proposals, emails reveal.

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Expert safety advice that e-scooters should only be allowed to go a maximum of 10km/hr on shared paths was ignored by Transport for NSW in the drafting of new speed limit proposals, emails reveal.

TfNSW has been considering implementing a default speed limit of 20km/hr for e-scooters despite receiving advice from the NSW Centre of Road Safety (NSW CRS) that speeds up to 10km/hr “is the most appropriate from a safety perspective”.

An email sent by the Office of the Deputy Secretary Safety, Environment and Regulation at TfNSW to the Pedestrian Council of Australia in December last year stated that under draft rules released for consultation, e-scooters would be permitted to ride on shared paths at 20km/hr unless otherwise signposted.

Yet the email detailed the draft speed limit had been proposed despite safety advice from NSW CRS “that a 20km/h default limit on shared paths carries a higher crash and injury risk for both riders and other path users”.

“A low interaction speed on shared paths (e.g., up to 10 km/h) is the most appropriate from a safety perspective,” the email detailed.

TfNSW is considering safety rules for the use of e-scooters. Picture: Tim Hunter

“This is because as speeds increase, impact energy increases exponentially. The likelihood of crashes also increases with speed, as there is less opportunity for a rider to see and respond to an unexpected hazard.”

While riding e-scooters on public streets is currently illegal in NSW, with the Minns government last year announcing they would regulate and legalise the transport. Currently a series of e-scooter trials have taken place in some local council areas, with a maximum speed-limit of 10km/h.

Transport for NSW has opted to go higher than the trial speed limit due to feedback indicating 10km/h was too slow in some contexts. They were also concerned low speeds on shared paths would encourage riders to use parallel roads instead.

“There are situations where a shared path runs alongside a 50km/h road. We don’t want situations where people would choose to ride on the road so they can go faster,” a TfNSW spokesperson said.

“We want to encourage use of the separated infrastructure wherever possible, as it is a safer option for these vulnerable road users.”

The proposal allows councils to reduce speeds in their areas to 10km/h should they choose.

Additionally, the draft proposals recommended that all drivers would be required to have a blood-alcohol level no greater than 0.05.

TfNSW’s proposed speed limit is higher than the 15km/h recommended by a NSW upper house inquiry, released this month. While the inquiry recommended a slower speed limit on shared paths, it also recommended 15km/h as the speed limit for footpaths as well.

It is understood that the safety advice from NSW CRS was not provided to the committee by TfNSW when it was requested.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward said e-scooters going 20km/h on shared paths would be “a disaster” for public safety.

“Experts know it, the community knows it but unfortunately it appears ideology has overtaken common sense inside Transport for NSW,” she said.

Pedestrian Council of Australia chief executive Harold Scruby said any speed over 10km/h on shared paths would be deadly for pedestrians as has been the case in Queensland, where speeds were reduced from 25km/h to 12km/h on footpaths after a dramatic increase in severe injuries.

“Despite all the evidence of a two-year trial and the incredible trauma and injury in Queensland they are just ignoring the costs and loss of lives last year for this manic desire to take over the footpath with e-scooters,” he said.

Originally published as ‘Safe’ e-scooter speed limit advice ignored by Transport for NSW