Enabling safe, electrified transport options is the focus of a NSW inquiry that begins public hearings today, Tuesday 29 October.
Officials from a string of Sydney councils are due to appear before the parliamentary probe following trials of various shared e-mobility schemes around the state.
Their appearances come a day after a proposed legal overhaul of NSW rules for e-scooters, which are widely available to purchase but illegal to operate in public spaces – a regulation widely ignored.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said in a statement yesterday: “There are already 1.35 million e-micromobility devices in homes across NSW. Almost 460,0000 of these are e-scooters. But only 22% of people across the state know it’s illegal to ride e-scooters on our roads and streets.
“It’s a strange regulatory blind spot, and it has to change.
“E-bikes and e-scooters aren’t without controversy, which is exactly why we’re taking action. It’s clear we need a regulatory framework that will allow people to make the most of this transport option, without compromising on community safety.
“Allowing people to ride an e-scooter to the shops or nearby train stations will take pressure off our roads and lessen competition for parking. It’s a big win for everyone, we just have a bit more work to do to get the balance right.”
“Allowing people to ride an e-scooter to the shops or nearby train stations will take pressure off our roads and lessen competition for parking.”
In submissions to the inquiry, council officials said there was community support for better public transport and fewer cars, but concerns were raised about people riding and leaving scooters and bikes on footpaths.
Northern Beaches residents were car-dependent and often objected to developments over concerns about being able to find a park at the beach, an issue that shared mobility services had the potential to address, our council said.
Sutherland officials said they received a large number of complaints, but the council supported improved and enforced laws around e-bikes rather than a ban.
Representatives from e-scooter and bike-hire platform Lime are also scheduled to appear after calling for the state’s transport agency to lead the selection of operators and the construction of bike and parking infrastructure.
That job was too big for local councils to handle, the company submitted.
Vision Australia and Guide Dogs NSW said the use of shared e-bike and -scooter schemes posed dangers due to low compliance and enforcement of guidelines around their use.
“Despite these rules … shared e-scooters are used on footpaths and they are often dumped or parked in such a way that impedes safe pedestrian travel,” Guide Dogs said in its submission.
It was often unclear where to park devices at the end of a trip and the number of devices being dumped where they posed a safety risk, was unacceptable when charity staff hired an e-scooter in Canberra, the organisation said.
Vision Australia recommended a requirement for any shared mobility devices to be fitted with technology allowing them to be moved remotely when parked outside designated areas.
The draft e-scooter rules include the need for riders to always wear an approved bicycle helmet and be at least 16 years old.
An E-micromobility Interagency Group, set up in May 2024 and made up of 15 NSW Government agencies, is coordinating delivery of actions across NSW.
For more information on the potential changes to e-scooter use, see: www.transport.nsw.gov.au/e-scooter-changes.
For more information on the E-micromobility Action Plan, visit: www.transport.nsw.gov.au/e-micromobility.
Story written by AAP with Kim Smee
Interested in the top? Read about Northern Beaches Council’s E-Bike safety campaign from earlier this year.
