Perth council urged to make e-scooter ban permanent as police launch crackdown

A friend of Perth man Thanh Phan, who died after an e-scooter crash in the CBD on the weekend, has called for the city’s open-ended suspension of for-hire e-scooters to become permanent as police target the devices in a statewide crackdown.

Lee Carroll also urged Transport Minister Rita Saffioti to review and change laws that allowed people to ride e-scooters on footpaths.

Thanh Phan, centre, died after an e-scooter crash in Perth’s CBD on the weekend. His death has prompted the City of Perth to suspend for-hire e-scooters indefinitely.

“Allowing motorised vehicles to share footpaths with pedestrians is fundamentally unsafe,” Carroll told this masthead.

“The Australian Medical Association has long warned of the dangers of e-scooter use. It should not have taken this tragic death for action to be taken.”

Phan was rushed to hospital in a critical condition on Saturday night after he was allegedly hit by an e-scooter operated by Alicia Kemp, a 24-year-old British tourist who had spent the afternoon drinking with a friend.

On Tuesday, Perth Magistrates Court was told Kemp hired the e-scooter on Murray Street and was riding as fast as 25km/h on the footpath with her friend on the back before they crashed into Phan at the King Street intersection.

The 51-year-old engineer fell forward and hit his head, while Kemp’s friend was thrown from the scooter and sustained a fractured skull and broken nose.

Kemp returned a blood alcohol content reading of 0.158, the court was told. Her charges were upgraded to dangerous driving occasioning bodily harm and dangerous driving occasioning death on Tuesday after Phan died in hospital.

She was denied bail on Tuesday and will return to court on July 15.

Carroll pointed to Melbourne City Council’s move last year to ban for-hire e-scooters, as well as a similar ban in the French capital Paris the year before in calling for their removal from Perth’s CBD.

“Pedestrians should feel safe in Perth, yet they don’t – a fact supported by the Road Safety Commission’s report,” Carroll said.

“E-scooters for hire are motorised vehicles that require no licence to operate and are often stationed outside bars and clubs, inviting use by people who may be intoxicated.

“This is a dangerous and unacceptable situation. We call on the City of Perth and the minister for transport to take decisive action.”

Deputy Perth Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds announced the suspension on Thursday, revealing there were about 500 for-hire e-scooters in use in the city.

“At this stage, there is no time frame (for how long the suspension will last), we’re going through a process where we’re assisting all the relevant authorities and investigators, and once that information has come to hand, we’ll be in a situation to make a decision,” he said.

WA Police have also announced a statewide crackdown on electric rideable devices – including e-scooters – and will be out in force in Perth and Northbridge on Friday.

“With a rise in popularity of electric rideable devices (ERDs), including e–scooters, a heightened risk of serious injury or death may occur as a result of riding these devices carelessly, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and without adequate safety protection,” a police spokesman said.

Police will adopt an “education through enforcement approach” as part of the crackdown, the spokesman said, noting all road laws that applied to motor vehicles also applied to ERDs.

Saffioti had foreshadowed a compliance blitz this week, and on Thursday said a focus would be whether the weight and power of e-scooters had been modified beyond regulations.

“I think the real issue is, and we’ve all seen it, that people aren’t sticking by the rules, and they’re creating dangerous situations for themselves and for pedestrians,” she said.

“There were a certain set of rules provided to make sure we could roll this out safety, but there’s been a heavy abuse of those rules.”

Opposition road safety spokeswoman Julie Freeman also called on the government to strengthen e-scooter regulation.

“Western Australia’s e-rideable laws are no longer fit for purpose. The rules we do have are being widely ignored, and compliance is almost non-existent,” she said.

The two e-scooter hire companies operating in Perth – Beam and Neuron Mobility – both welcomed the city’s decision on Thursday.

“We are working closely with the council and WA Police, and our thoughts remain with the deceased’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” Neuron Mobility said in a statement.

“We look forward to resuming safe operations as soon as we are able, in close coordination with the city.”

A Beam spokesperson said: “Safety remains our highest priority, and we fully support the City’s efforts to ensure a safe and responsible shared mobility environment.”

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