Electric scooters ready to his Tassie streets after laws pass parliament
Electric scooters will soon be buzzing around the streets after parliament passed laws to allow their use – with restrictions. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW >>
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NEW laws allowing electric scooters to be ridden on Tasmanian roads will provide a cost-effective, low-pollution and convenient transport alternative, the government says.
Changes to the Traffic Act allowing the use of personal mobility devices such as e-scooters on footpaths, shared paths and local roads have passed state parliament.
Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said increasing the transport options would help cut the number of people using cars.
“Delivering this key election commitment will see e-scooters and other personal mobility devices allowed to be used by commercial ‘hire and ride’ operators as well as private users on footpaths, shared paths and some local roads,” he said.
“E-scooters are growing in popularity globally as people look for more innovative and efficient ways to move around cities and communities, replacing cars for short commutes.
“Importantly, parliament agreed with the government that there are strict rules that go along with this new mode of transport, including consideration of other pedestrians, speed limits and safe use requirements.”
Modern e-scooters contain a range of safety features such as pedestrian detection sensors and poor rider behaviour detection, Mr Ferguson said.
Under the new laws, users will be required to be over 16, wear a helmet and will be restricted to a speed of 15km/h on footpaths and 25km/h on shared paths, bicycle paths and local roads.
Police will have the power to temporarily seize devices being used contrary to the road rules and councils will have the power to restrict footpaths that should not be shared and to designate additional roads as scooter-friendly.
Mr Ferguson said the new laws would take effect from next week and will be followed by a public education campaign.
Beam Mobility and Neuron Mobility have been given the tender to operate a 12-month trial of rental e-scooters in central Hobart and Launceston, which will commence once the new laws come into effect.
COMING SOON: E-scooters primed for Hobart and Launceston
November 5, 2021
Company reps from Beam Mobility cruised into town this week ahead of their upcoming trial of e-scooters across Hobart and Launceston.
The company has secured the tender, and are just waiting on the state government to sort through the legal paperwork needed to get the project off the ground.
Under the current legislation, it is technically illegal to ride e-scooters on footpaths, shared paths, and local roads.
Beam’s Michelle Leong spent this week giving early demos to government and community stakeholders in the lead-up to the rollout.
The trial will last for 12 months, during which time the e-scooters will be parked in designated areas throughout the streets of Hobart and Launceston.
Ms Leong said she had complete faith in the people of Tasmania not to trash the e-scooters, as has happened during similar trials in other cities.
“You’ll find the community members are really obliging and help us police these things. We police them with our technology, and they come on board and support us,” she said.
“We’re pretty confident, if not we wouldn’t be coming here.”
Hobart City Council Anna Reynolds said they would work with the company to help their trial run smoothly.
Councillor Reynolds said the idea had taken off in other cities, and that the trial would determine whether it could be pulled off in Hobart.
“These companies are operating in quite a number of cities around the world, especially the capital cities,” Councillor Reynolds said.
“Hobart City Council and Launceston felt it made sense to run a twelve month trial to see whether they are wanted in Hobart and if it’s useful.”
Beam ANZ general manager Tom Cooper said they hoped to one day see their service being used by Tasmanian tourists and locals alike.
“We’re thrilled to have secured the tender to bring micromobility to Hobart and Launceston, and we thank both councils for entrusting us with executing the state’s first shared micromobility program,” Mr Cooper said.
“We look forward to working closely with both city councils to bring safe, affordable and sustainable e-scooter transport to the region.
kenji.sato@news.com.au
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