The Canberra Electric Scooter Project continues to expand its distribution, and now if you like to use electric scooters to travel, you can ride all the way from Gungahlin in the north to Tuggeranong in the south.
The Tuggeranong and Weston Creek areas will introduce the Neuron “little orange car” and the Beam “little purple car”.
With the expansion of the electric scooter project, it means that the scooters have covered Wanniassa, Oxley, Monash, Greenway, Bonython and Isabella Plains in the Tuggeranong region.
In addition, the scooter project has also increased the Weston Creek and Woden regions, including Coombs, Wright, Holder, Waramanga, Stirling, Pearce, Torrens and Farrer regions.
Normally e-scooters are banned from the main roads.
Transport Minister Chris Steel said the latest extension was a first for Australia, allowing the devices to travel in every region.
“Canberra residents can travel from north to south and east to west via shared roads and side roads,” he said.
“This will make Canberra the largest shared electric scooter city in Australia, with our operating area now covering more than 132 square kilometers.”
“We’ve been working closely with e-scooter suppliers Beam and Neuron to keep the e-scooter program safe by implementing methods such as slow zones, designated parking spaces and no-parking areas.”
Whether the project will continue to expand south remains to be considered.
More than 2.4 million e-scooter trips have now been made since the first trial run in Canberra in 2020.
Most of these are short-distance trips (less than two kilometers), but this is exactly what the government encourages, such as using a scooter home from a public transport station.
Since the first trial in 2020, the community has voiced concerns about parking safety, drink-driving or drug-ridden riding.
A new set of laws passed in March empowers police to instruct someone to leave or not board a personal mobility device if they believe they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In August Mr Steele said he was not aware of anyone who had appeared in court for drinking and riding a scooter.
The government has previously said it was considering no-parking zones outside popular nightclubs or targeted curfews to make it difficult for drinkers to use e-scooters. There haven’t been any updates on this front.
Two e-scooter suppliers will continue to hold pop-up events in Canberra, ensuring the community understands how to safely operate e-scooters.
Safety remains a top concern for both operators.
Richard Hannah, director of Australia and New Zealand of Neuron Electric Scooter Company, said that in a safe, convenient and sustainable way, electric scooters are very suitable for local people and tourists to travel.
“As distribution expands, safety remains our top priority. Our e-scooters are packed with cutting-edge features designed to make them as safe as possible for riders and pedestrians,” Mr Hannah said.
“We encourage riders to try ScootSafe Academy, our digital education platform, to learn how to use e-scooters in a safe and responsible manner.”
Ned Dale, Beam’s Canberra operations manager for electric scooters, agrees.
“As we further expand our distribution across Canberra, we are committed to introducing new technology and upgrading e-scooters to improve safety for all Canberra road users.”
“Before expanding to Tuggeranong, we have trialled tactile indicators on e-scooters to support pedestrians.”
Post time: Dec-19-2022