Victorian Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll recently announced that the cities of Melbourne, Yarra, Port Philip, and Ballarat will trial conduct a 12-month trial of E-Scooter hire services.
Currently in Victoria electric scooters can only legally travel on low-speed roads, shared off-road paths and footpaths only if they have a maximum speed of 10kph and a power output of less than 200 watts.
However, these rules will soon need to be revamped, given the new hire scooters will travel at 20km/h and will be allowed on bicycle lanes, shared paths and low-speed roads (up to 50kph).
Mayor of Ballarat Cr Daniel Moloney was quick to dismiss criticisms of the plan, which he likened to discussions around bike paths.
"There are a small but very vocal percentage of people that will criticise," he said.
"The thing is, it's not intended for them — stay in your car, that's fine, but it doesn't mean that we can't provide a range of different options that will work for different people."
Mayor of Yarra Cr Gabrielle de Vietri was also in support of the plan.
"We're particularly interested in how e-scooters can support connectivity to existing transport systems such as our train and tram network and be used for short, local trips in and around our municipality," Cr de Vietri said.
She said e-scooters would help drive car dependency and reduce carbon emissions.
The Victorian E-Scooter trial is a good indicator that restrictions and laws surroundings E-scooter will soon be eased.
We will be sure to keep you updated on any future advances.
Remember to ride responsibly and safely. And don't forget to tag us in your social media posts @huskiscooters.
Source: Stevens, R. (2021). High-powered electric scooter trial to start in Melbourne and Ballarat 'for something different'. Retrieved 6 September 2021, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-03/e-scooter-hire-trial-victoria/100429144
