Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai was one of the first to give the city's new e-scooters a try out when they were introduced earlier this month.
Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai was one of the first to give the city's new e-scooters a try out when they were introduced earlier this month.
E-scooters parked in the middle of footpaths, no attached helmets and risky riding behaviour are among early issues in Whangārei's new purple e-scooter trial.
Whangārei District Council (WDC) has given private e-scooter hire company Beam the right to introduce the e-scooters in a six-month trial from December 13. Two hundred e-scooters are now being ridden around the Town Basin, Hātea Loop, city centre and out to suburban locations including Maunu, west Kamo, Raumanga, near Springs Flat and Onerahi.
The new mobility option has become increasingly popular since arriving in town.
"We have seen e-scooters take off in popularity and become increasingly entrenched in the daily life of Whangārei residents – be it commuting to and from places of work and education, running errands and visiting restaurants. They have also been popular as a great way to explore the city," a spokesperson for Beam said.
But the trial hasn't been without teething problems.
In one case an e-scooter was parked in the middle of a footpath forcing a mobility scooter rider out onto the road to get past.
E-scooters have also been left in the middle of the Hātea Loop walkway, at times also blocking access.
Northland road policing manager Inspector Anne-Marie Fitchett said Whangārei e-scooter riders needed to take more care than usual as the trial got underway and everybody got used to them being around.
"Have fun but share the space. They're going to be a new toy for people for a while," Fitchett said.
Disappearing helmets have become an early feature of the trial.
E-scooters for hire in the Town Basin, some without helmets.
The Beam spokeswoman did not respond directly to Northern Advocate questions about whether the helmets were being stolen, damaged or lost or the numbers involved.
She said its e-scooter riders were not required by law to wear helmets, nor could the company mandate their use. But it provided the helmets attached to the e-scooters and strongly encouraged riders to wear them.
Northland Transport Alliance (NTA) strategy and planning manager Jeffrey Devine said the hire e-scooters were a private business with WDC's main involvement being approving its business operating licence. But NTA encouraged the hire e-scooters' helmet use.
Northland Police and Northland DHB also said Whangārei's e-scooter riders were best wearing helmets.
The Northern Advocate has received a report of an e-scooter accident. A rider on the road was seen heading towards the footpath to avoid cars, but fell off the e-scooter as it hit the footpath.
Northland DHB's Whangārei Hospital emergency department has not recorded treating any e-scooter related injuries since the trial began.
An ACC spokeswoman said the organisation had also not received any hire e-scooter accident claims from Whangārei since the trial started – her response tempered with reference to system limitations around claimants' information.
The Advocate also received a report of a pedestrian in the Town Basin's busy shopping precinct alongside Dent St feeling unsafe, as an advancing adult on a hire e-scooter guided accompanying young children on scooters.
The purple Beam e-scooters can be programmed to travel at different speeds, depending on city location.
"Perhaps there is a need for the company to switch off the ability to travel under its own power and instead people having to push the e-scooter - like in part of Cameron St Mall - in this Town Basin shopping area, particularly during peak times like the busy days over Christmas," the pedestrian, who did not want to be named, said.
The hire company stipulates only one person rides at a time and those hiring them be 16 and over.
Fitchett said it was up to those using the e-scooters to do so responsibly if they wanted the new transport option to remain available beyond the trial.
Whangārei's 4.6km Hātea Loop has emerged as a high use zone for the hire e-scooters.
Senior Sergeant Christian Stainton, Whangārei area prevention manager, said he had seen e-scooters parked in the middle of the Hātea Loop path.
"People have said they would prefer the e-scooters were not left in the middle of thoroughfares or high traffic areas," Stainton said.
Devine said people noticing incorrectly-parked e-scooters or inappropriate rider behaviour should contact the operator directly, rather than WDC.
The Beam spokeswoman said the company had comprehensive in-app guidelines for riders to educate them on appropriate riding behaviour and parking zones.
She said company's technology allowed riders to be moved away from high-risk areas and limit access.
