Neuron and Beam launch safety campaign following crashing incidents
Neuron and Beam have launched a safety blitz in Hobart and Launceston following a number of crashes and hooning incidents. LATEST >>
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E-SCOOTER companies Neuron and Beam have launched a safety blitz in Hobart and Launceston following a number of highly-publicised crashes and hooning incidents.
It comes after two Hobart City Councillors called for the trial to be suspended and for the “dangerous” e-scooters to be banned altogether from the city's footpaths.
Both companies have deployed “safety ambassadors” to patrol the city streets and promote safe riding and parking practices.
Beam is also initiating a “Ride Kind” campaign along with an in-app safety quiz which rewards free riding minutes upon completion.
They have also put in place more out-of-bounds and slow zones in both cities as well as a strict three strikes policy to ban reckless riders.
Beam’s Australian general manager Tom Cooper said their trial was proving popular, with over 90,000 trips in the first month.
Mr Cooper said the company would be working to incentivise safer rides and fewer crashes.
“We believe that, as cities have found with road safety for cars, the safe introduction and expansion of micromobility on Tasmanian roads is a combination of several things, including education, quality of vehicles, infrastructure and enforcement,” he said.
“We are committed to using our resources to educate the riding community and broader Tasmanian community of the legislation and our operations, and also to ensuring a high quality of vehicles and technology.”
Neuron’s Tasmanian city manager Nick Chang the company had logged over 80,000 trips in Hobart and Launceston since the trial was launched in December 17.
In Hobart, Mr Chang said their data showed rides between Franklin Wharf and Sandy Bay was one of the most popular routes for commuters.
Hobart hotels also proved popular starting and ending points for travellers exploring the city.
In Launceston the Royal Park and City Park were the most popular start and end points, with many riders using e-scooters to travel through the city centre.
Mr Chang said they had deployed roving safety ambassadors who would reward free credits to Neuron riders who stopped to listen to their safety briefings.
Additionally, Mr Chang said they would be cracking down on repeat offenders through GPS tracking and encouraging people to report bad behaviour using the registration plates fitted on the front and back.
“Cases of repeat offending are rare. We generally warn people and try to re-educate them, but we can also suspend or ban accounts for dangerous riding or repetitive misbehaviour,” he said.
“We have already created 40 jobs in Tasmania which is fantastic for the cities, and we are looking forward to further adapting our service and integrating them into Hobart and Launceston. We’re excited about the future in Tassie.”
ANALYSIS: Mixed feelings about Tassie’s first month of E-scooters
POLICE have issued 26 e-scooter-related infringement notices in Hobart since the trial was launched one month ago on December 17.
However, many e-scooter hooligans remain at large, including a pair of young men who were filmed putting a Beam scooter on top of a car and riding it down the windscreen and bonnet.
The footage was captured on the night of the e-scooter launch, coinciding with Hobart’s notoriously rowdy Cage Night.
The CCTV was handed to Tasmania Police, who say they are still investigating the incident.
Police say they are also aware of another incident involving a man riding an e-scooter through the New Town Plaza Kmart.
In Northern Tasmania, Launceston City Councillor Paul Spencer said he frequently hears complaints from residents about bad behaviour by riders of e-scooters.
Mr Spencer said he blamed the state government for allowing e-scooters on to the footpaths in the first place, and that he wanted to see them re-banned.
Late last year the Tasmanian Government changed the laws to allow e-scooters on footpaths in order to accommodate the arrival of Beam and Neuron in Hobart and Launceston.
“Whoever thought this is going to fix the traffic must have been on drugs,” Mr Spencer said.
“E-scooters have no place on the footpaths, not in Launceston where elderly people are walking.”
Small business minister Michael Ferguson said the decision ultimately rested on the councils, who had the final say on whether the e-scooters were allowed on their footpaths.
“It’s a matter for local councils which footpaths can or should be used, and councils need to be judicious about that,” Mr Ferguson said.
“We’ve actually seen tens of thousands of people using e-scooters in a safe and sensible way.
“We passed a law last year which requires anybody using these scooters to use due care and attention or police can take further action.”
Since the trial launch the e-scooters have logged an average of 20,000 trips per week across Hobart and Launceston.
Upon their launch Beam and Neuron collectively logged 20,000 trips in Tasmania in the first three days alone.
A Beam spokesperson said the e-scooters had proved popular in Hobart, with each scooter being used an average of six times per day.
“In the short time since we’ve commenced operations, we have seen e-scooters take off in popularity and become increasingly entrenched in the daily life of Hobart residents - be it commuting to and from places of work and education, running errands and visiting restaurants,” she said.
“Should any incidents occur, we work closely with the police to identify these individuals, to ensure that the actions of a few don’t ruin a good experience for others.”
Councillors call to dump the trial immediately
TWO Hobart City councillors are demanding the “dangerous” e-scooter trial be suspended immediately amid a spate of crime and hooliganry.
Aldermen Jeff Briscoe and Marti Zucco say the council needs to seriously rethink its e-scooter policies and lay down much tougher rules and penalties.
Mr Zucco said e-scooters should be banned from council footpaths, which he believes should be reserved for foot traffic only.
“Our elderly are afraid to use our footpaths, and they’re footpaths, not scooter paths or bicycle paths,” he said.
“We need to make sure people under 16 aren’t using them, and that they’re not being used to go on joy rides through Kmart or ridden over other people’s cars.”
Additionally, Mr Zucco said riders should be required to have a driver’s licence and to park them in designated areas when finished, not strewn across the footpath.
Alderman Briscoe said he had initially been in favour of e-scooters, but that the recent spate of crashes and criminal activity had made him think twice.
He said he had been especially horrified to see video footage of an e-scooter rider crashing headlong into an elderly woman who had stepped out of a cafe doorway on Saturday.
Mr Briscoe said it was miraculous that the woman hadn’t been seriously injured, but that it was only a matter of time before somebody was.
“The footpaths of Hobart were not designed for these things. They should be on bike paths or on specially marked roads, but not on footpaths,” he said.
“We can’t risk sending more people to hospital or putting more people in harm’s way, especially now. The trial needs to be paused to prevent casualties at the worst possible time”
Council candidate Louise Elliot said e-scooters were posing a public health risk at a time when hospitals were already overburdened.
“The benefits need to outweigh the risks and costs – not just financial, but the safety and social cost in this instance – and I don’t think the benefits are strong enough,” she said.
“They’re an obvious safety risk, whether it’s hitting people at speed on being abandoned and left as trip hazards. You could do the risk assessment on a napkin and quickly see you’re in for trouble.”
Mr Briscoe and Mr Zucco said they would put a notice of motion to council so that it can go to a vote.
Cr Bill Harvey, who chairs council’s infrastructure committee, said it was far too early in the trial to be already talking of scrapping it.
If the footpaths are overcrowded, Cr Harvey said the solution would be to introduce more separated cycle paths for the benefit of cyclists, scooter riders, and pedestrians.
“A trial is a trial, and it needs to be completed so we can analyse the usage data and come to an informed decision,” he said.
“What we need to do is increase the kilometres of separated bicycle lanes so riders and pedestrians are safe and we can encourage more people to ride safely.”
Author’s notes: ‘This is why we can’t have nice things’
IT’S been one month since the e-scooters were plonked on to Hobart’s streets and since then we’ve seen them ridden off car roofs, chucked into rivulets, and rammed into an elderly lady.
And those are just the ones that have been caught on film. Anecdotally, people claim they’ve been thrown off the Tasman Bridge, dragged down highways, and run into dogs.
Somehow, the ones caught on video all seem to involve Beam scooters - maybe it’s because they’re lacking in neurons.
Or perhaps they’re Hurricanes fans who are attracted to the purple colour, or maybe it’s because Beam scooters come equipped with a convenient drinks holder.
No need to get a friend to hold your beer, simply slot your drink into the cupholder and your mate can use his free hands to film your incriminating stunt.
For the record, I’m a big fan of the e-scooters, in concept.
They address many of Hobart’s traffic problems; they allow easier access to the inner city, they’re powered by clean energy, and they free up parking spaces.
The inner city is just so hostile to drivers, with parking being so scarce, expensive, and zealously guarded by council inspectors.
I’ve long since given up the prospect of driving to work, so I started cycling from my house in Bellerive to The Mercury office over the Tasman Bridge.
My hamstrings initially dreaded the uphill climbs, but I’ve grown fond of Hobart’s rolling hills and the stunning Derwent River views.
If it’s raining, or if I can’t be bothered cycling, I’ll catch the Bellerive to Hobart ferry service.
Commuting to work is typically the most depressing part of the day, but it’s impossible to feel sad when you’re cruising comfortably across the River Derwent.
Hobart City Council and the state government have acknowledged that Hobart’s parking is a mess, and that commuters need some sort of alternative to cars.
In theory e-scooters are a great in-between option for those trips that are too short for car rides, but too long to walk on foot.
It also compliments those other services very nicely - you can catch a bus, ferry, or bike to work and then scoot along to your inner city appointments.
That’s what I’ve been doing since the e-scooters were introduced, and I can say they’re a lot of fun.
However, while the e-scooters might be a cutting-edge piece of technology, as long as they’re being piloted by imperfect humans with a flair for reckless behaviour, there’s always a chance they’ll be abused.
If the actions of a few ruin this e-scooter trial for everyone else, then it will be a sad testament to why we can’t have nice things.
kenji.sato@news.com.au
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