Heavy foot coming down on e-scooters worldwide

NZ Herald

25 Oct, 2018 07:59 PM2 mins to read

Lime scooter users photographed in Auckland's CBD yesterday. Photo / Michael Craig

They've been banned from the footpaths of France and Spain, while a man has died in Texas after crashing while not wearing a helmet.

And in Beijing and Shanghai e-scooters have even been banned from the roads for two years.

Lime scooters landed in New Zealand less than two weeks ago and already 14 ACC claims have been filed, with road safety advocates calling for tighter restrictions on their use.

Speaking with Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB this morning, San Diego city council representative Barbara Bry says they are currently working on a range of proposals to help reign in the use of e-scooters.

They started arriving there in February and immediately started causing concern, she said.

"They are left everywhere, they go fast, we've had many accidents and finally yesterday the mayor's staff proposed a framework for regulations."

The framework is now being "fleshed out" by the mayor's office before it's sent to the committee she sits on to share with residents.

But Bry would be advocating for lower speeds, use of helmets and for the companies to pay a fee which would go back into the community.

"These companies are very wealthy ... they need to pay fees. We can use these fees for education, for equity to make sure every neighbourhood has access to them, we can use the fees for infrastructure."

Even more importantly, the companies could provide data which would reveal how many there were roaming the streets and where they were being used.

"We need to know how many there are and where people are using them so we can make educated decisions about where best to spend our money."

Although the Californian governor had passed legislation meaning those aged over 18 do not need to wear a helmet, they were seeking legal advice as to whether local jurisdictions can have that overturned.