Riders call for reform to 'unfair' e-scooter rules

Lilyfield local Deby Horne got her first e-scooter seven years ago when she lived in Camperdown and would ride it into her CBD work along bike lanes. But she stopped after she was threatened with a fine.

"We wanted to reduce our car usage and this made it easy to pop places without getting in the car. We asked the police what the laws about it were, they said there weren't any rules at that time. They said it was a real grey area," she said.

"One day we rode into the city for work and there weren't the usual police there - they were from outside the area - and they pulled everyone over on their e-scooters."

In April, active transport minister Rob Stokes announced at a mobility summit that the NSW Government would be rolling out a council-led trial legalising shared e-scooters in some parts of the state from July. Under the trial, riders over the age of 16 would be allowed to use rental e-scooters to travel at 20km/h on bicycle paths and roads with speed limits lower than 50km/h and on shared paths at 10km/h.

However, Inner West Council officers recommended council not take part in the trial due to footpath clutter, limited information, a lack of trial resources and neighbouring councils such as City of Sydney not participating. The trial does not include privately-owned e-scooters due to safety concerns, a move enthusiasts say is "backwards".

"I think that's ridiculous - the inner west is supposed to be leading people forward. Everyone thought the Inner West Council and City of Sydney would do this. That's where the riders are and they have the best infrastructure set up," said Ms Horne. "I don't see why we can't have the same rules for e-scooters as we have for e-bikes. I don't understand why it's not that easy."

Benefits of e-scooters cited by enthusiasts include low emissions, easy storage, helping people with mobility issues get around more easily and being relatively affordable.

They are illegal to ride in NSW, unless on private property, as they cannot be registered as a vehicle and lack the e-bike exemptions. Despite that, Newtown's Scooter Hut store manager Alan Kurkuri estimates e-scooters sales doubled in 2021.

Like many e-scooter owners, Tempe local Stefan Galiaro got his scooter during the pandemic. He found out about the laws the hard way when his girlfriend was slapped with a $2,700 fine for riding her-scooter. He has since launched a Facebook group lobbying for riding e-scooters to be legalised.

"We were going quite slow - just walking pace - and the highway patrol were there," he said. "I didn't think they would fine us."

Sharan Gopal works at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Camperdown and rode her e-scooter to work so she didn't have to use public transport and risk transmitting COVID-19 - or contend with Camperdown parking. She was unaware of the ban until she was given a warning by police.

She now rides an e-bike - but would prefer her e-scooter. "I've worked with NSW Health for over a decade, I wouldn't abuse the system and I never get tickets for driving," she said. "If you're a responsible person driving, you're probably a responsible person scootering."

Member for Summer Hill and Labor's transport spokesperson, Jo Haylen, said she supports e-scooters, but "regulation of e-scooters is complex and involves nutting out safety, insurance and licensing issues".

"Many states across our country, including Victoria and Queensland, and the Territories, have worked out how to regulate e-scooters. With electric scooters becoming more popular every day, a trial to find the safest way to add them to our transport mix is critical," she said.

Mr Galiaro acknowledged safety concerns, such as a recent collision in Perth that left a 70-year-old pedestrian in hospital, but said they shouldn't mean a total ban.

"The situations ... are people doing the wrong thing and being irresponsible. That can be seen with any mode of transport," he said. "It's unfair to outcast scooter riders."

Have something to say? Send a letter to the editor at: editor@innerwestreview.com.au

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: