Legalising e-scooters welcome but don’t put shared e-bike schemes into the too hard basket
Greens MP and chair of the inquiry into the use of e-scooters, e-bikes and related mobility options, Cate Faehrmann, has welcomed the Government’s response to the inquiry’s recommendations but has urged against any further delay in regulating shared e-bike schemes, particularly in relation to dedicated parking infrastructure.
“E-bikes and e-scooters are some of the safest, cleanest, and most efficient ways to get around. It’s encouraging to see the Government is continuing to progress its proposed regulatory reforms for legalising the use of e-scooters in public places in NSW,” said Ms Faehrmann.
Under the proposed changes, e-scooters will be permitted on shared paths and roads with speed limits of 50 km/h or less, with device speeds capped at 20 km/h.
“Legalising e-scooters and encouraging the uptake of e-bikes doesn’t mean much if there’s nowhere safe to ride them. We need connected networks and infrastructure that makes walking, riding and rolling the easiest and safest way to get around.
“Unfortunately, it appears as though the Government is content with leaving councils to deal with the problems that the rapid growth in shared e-bike schemes has created. It’s disappointing that the committee’s recommendation that the Government work with councils to establish a metropolitan-wide shared e-mobility device scheme and impose a cap on the number of operators wasn’t supported.
“The Government stated that it partially supports the recommendation to develop a plan for the provision of parking infrastructure for shared e-bikes and e-scooters. However, we were quite clear about the need for dedicated parking bays which ideally would be no more than 200m apart in high-density areas as well as allocating existing car spaces and ensuring e-mobility parking on all resurfacing and new road projects.
“Instead of biting the bullet and working with councils to ensure there is parking infrastructure for shared e-bike schemes like the vast majority of cities in other jurisdictions do, NSW has to make do with a vague ‘hybrid approach’ of ‘free-floating parking’ and designated parking areas marked by geo-fencing or marked with signs or unmarked.
“Everyone in Sydney will tell you that this current ‘hybrid approach’ when it comes to shared e-bike parking is a total disaster and that’s why the committee made the recommendation it did.
“In relation to the recommendation to amend the Road Rules 2014 to allow e-mobility devices on footpaths, unless other states with riders having to give way to pedestrians at all times at a maximum speed of 15km/h, the Government has said it will review the road rules. Given the rapid growth in the use of e-bikes and e-scooters on our roads and paths, I look forward to working with the government and the community on this important review,” said Ms Faehrmann.