Queensland police are fining speeding e-scooter riders on Brisbane bikeways amid a pointy rise within the quantity caught zipping above the 25 kilometres per hour velocity restrict.
Key factors:
- E-scooter use in Brisbane has boomed, however personal e-scooters are being caught speeding on bikeways
- Queensland police have fined 54 individuals this 12 months using above the 25kph velocity restrict on bikeways
- The state authorities is new laws governing e-scooter use
Private e-scooter use has boomed in Brisbane following the introduction of shared e-scooter schemes in 2018 as extra individuals flip to the electrical units to get concerning the metropolis.
But three years after e-scooters arrived, issues about their regulation led to the state authorities holding a roundtable dialogue on legislative reforms in November.
Police information introduced on the e-scooter talks revealed the variety of customers caught speeding had risen year-on-year, not simply on bikeways.
In 2019, solely two individuals have been caught on a private mobility machine travelling quicker than 25kph.
In 2020 that determine rose to 9.
This 12 months, between January and October, 54 e-scooter riders have been caught working an e-scooter over 25kph.
Currently they’re restricted to footpaths, bikeways, and a few native streets, and whereas shared e-scooters function below a bunch of restrictions together with GPS monitoring, restricted speeds, and no-go zones, privately owned e-scooters are more durable to control.
“Police have engaged with [personal mobility device] riders over a range of offences, including speeding,” a Queensland Police spokesperson mentioned.
Bikeways monitored by police included the Bicentennial Bikeway, Goodwill Bridge, Botanical Garden cycle paths, Riverwalk, and the Brisbane Cycleway.
E-scooter fines
Police information confirmed the variety of infringements for helmet offences additionally rose after nosediving in 2020 through the pandemic.
In 2019, 1,069 individuals have been caught utilizing an e-scooter and not using a helmet.
That determine dropped to 449 final 12 months as shared e-scooter firms streamlined know-how to extend helmet use.
Between January and October this 12 months, nonetheless, 956 e-scooter customers have been caught and not using a helmet.
And whereas Brisbane City Council has restricted e-scooter use after midnight on weekends within the metropolis’s get together districts, solely two e-scooter customers have been fined for drink driving.
Last week, Transport Minister Mark Bailey confirmed new e-scooter laws can be launched in 2022.
‘Big market’ for environment friendly transport
Cycling foyer group Space4CyclingBNE welcomed a shift towards e-scooters being permitted on bikeways as Brisbane City Council added e-scooter stencils to CBD bike lanes to encourage customers off footpaths.
“It would be great to see [stencils] added to other routes like the Gabba Bikeway and North Brisbane Bikeway,” a Space4CyclingBNE spokeperson mentioned.
“The rapid take up of personal mobility devices, such as e-scooters, has shown there’s a big market for people who want a more efficient way to get around town than owning and driving a car.”