The silent e-scooter 'a real danger', Baradene principal says

Baradene College of the Sacred Heart principal Sandy Pasley is sorry for confusion after a bunch of e-scooters were left on the school grounds. Photo / File

An Auckland school principal says e-scooters are most dangerous in their silence.

Sandy Pasley, principal of Baradene College of the Sacred Heart, has spoken out about the scooters after the school became embroiled in its e-scooter controversy this week when a bunch of students left the machines on the school grounds.

A woman, only known as Ella, told Stuff she tried to get one and discovered a pile of them on the school's grounds after logging onto Lime's app on Monday morning.

"When I looked, there was like 20 of them at a school down the road," Ella said.
"They told me the students ride them to and from school and that they were having a prank day and I wasn't allowed to come and grab a scooter."

When questioned by the Herald about the issue, Pasley said she spoken to her office staff and they denied they were being hoarded and labelled it a "one-off situation".

"We thought that they were still being charged for when they're in the school grounds and there was no intention to deny the public access to them and we're really sorry that somebody got upset about it."

She said yesterday was the first, and likely last, day that the students would use them as a mode of transport for getting to school.

"They came to school that day on them, it's the only time they have. The students were 18, that can ride them and there were some that were hired for the whole day. There was a lack of realisation from us that some weren't.

"Our office said they never said to the lady that she couldn't pick one up, so I don't know what happened there, just a misunderstanding. The last thing we wanted to do was upset any member of the public."

Pasley, who had given the new e-scooter a try, albeit at low speed, said she could understand why there were concerns about injuries.

"I'm surprised they can go actually quite fast and ... I particularly understand that you can't hear them, so for people on footpaths I can see that they're a real danger. It's a worry I think. There needs to be some set rules around them.

"I think it's not being heard that is a worry and people not might be able to get out of the way and I think the rule around the footpath and people walking, I can imagine elderly or young children."

A woman suffered serious facial injuries after a collision with two elderly pedestrians on Thursday.

The woman's dentist, Dr Andrew Shepperson, told the Herald the treatment would likely involve braces after the woman was concussed and a front tooth pushed up into her gum after she fell face-first on the concrete.

The incident was now one of 38 ACC claims lodged since the e-scooters' arrival two weeks ago.

Pasley said it seemed a no-brainer that a helmet should be used if people were intending on going at a decent speed.

"I would think a helmet is necessary because you can do some damage if you weren't careful. I didn't go fast, I was going very slow."

She said the use of the scooters by her students was a "one-off" and her students usually walked or got the bus to school.

"I can't see it being transport for them to school, but I think it's important that they would wear a helmet if they were going any speed but I do think the rules need to be very clear to the public."