Hamilton looks to encourage more use of alternative transport

Lime scooters are being given an extended trial in Hamilton and skateboarding is no longer considered a nuisance way to travel through the CBD. Photo / Greg Bowker

Hamilton City Council has unanimously agreed to extend the e-scooter trial for 12 months, with Lime Scooters guaranteed to remain on Hamilton streets for the first six months.

It means that over the next 12 months up to a 1000 e-scooters can be made available to hire in Hamilton.

There are already 600 available in the city.

Councillors unanimously decided to continue with the e-scooter trial after hearing from submitters in the public forum; many did not raise issues with the scooters, but with the lack of infrastructure to support them and cyclists.

Councillor Sarah Thomson said the surge in different forms of alternative transport shows there is a need for separated cycleways in the city.

"We need to make it safe for all these different modes in our city, and make it safe for our more vulnerable on the footpaths," Ms Thomson said.

"We heard quite strongly from our submitters that education is quite important, so I am keen to get feedback from staff in the next six months to show we are educating Hamiltonians on how to use these devices."

Ms Thomson said the city must now look at getting hirable devices such as e-bikes out into Hamilton to continue to provide alternative forms of transports.

Deputy mayor Geoff Taylor said e-scooters are here to stay.

"Lime can claim a lot of credit for the success in Hamilton, they came into the city, invested in a warehouse and the next six months gives them the security they deserve," Mr Taylor said.

Councillor Ewan Wilson said it has dawned on him recently that micro transport such as scooters could be the justification for why they need separated cycle/e-scooter lanes in Hamilton.

"The heatmap supports it, the multiple rides prove it, I think the narrative is we need roads, we need dedicated micro transport pathways and a footpath for pedestrians," Mr Wilson said.

"I think we can't legislate for silly people, in the same way we get silly people who go drinking and then get in their cars, you will get the same people who do something like that on a scooter."

Another of Hamilton's alternative forms of transport service, Loop car share service, has won a Government grant to add 20 electric vehicles to its fleet.

Some of these will be based in new positions in the city and some may replace the current petrol vehicles.

Skateboarders welcome again

Travelling through the city by skateboard will no longer be considered a nuisance activity after the council dropped its rules about skateboarding in the CBD.

The council has updated its Public Places Bylaw to allow free access to skateboarders.

A council report said attitudes towards skateboarding had changed with active transport options (such as skateboarding and using scooters) now viewed as part of the range of transport options available to people.

When the bylaw was adopted in 2015 skateboarding was considered a nuisance behaviour along with such things as sleeping in a public place in such a way as to cause an obstruction, or urinating or defecating in a public place other than a toilet.