The Daily Mail reported on March 14 that electric scooter enthusiasts have received a stern warning that riding an electric scooter on the road will now be considered an offense due to strict government regulations.
According to the report, riding a prohibited or uninsured vehicle (including electric scooters, electric skateboards and electric balance vehicles) on the streets or sidewalks of NSW could result in an on-the-spot fine of A$697.
Although the devices are considered motor vehicles, they do not comply with the Australian Design Rules and therefore cannot be registered or insured, but it is legal to ride e-bikes.
Electric scooter enthusiasts can only ride on private land, and riding on public streets, sidewalks and bicycles is prohibited.
The strict new rules also apply to gasoline-powered bicycles, electric self-balancing scooters and electric skateboards.
Last week, the Hills Police Area Command posted a Facebook post reminding people not to break traffic rules. However, many people commented at the bottom of the post that the relevant regulations are unreasonable.
Some netizens said it was time to update the legal regulations, pointing to the environmental benefits of electric equipment and saving money in the context of soaring oil prices.
One man wrote: “This is a good thing, they should be legal. We just need to have simple, clear rules about where and when you can ride, and speed limits.”
Another said: “It’s time to update the law, with the price of gas soaring, more and more people will ride electric scooters.”
Another said: “It’s kind of ridiculous that one authority allows them to be imported and sold in Australia while another bans them on public streets.”
“Behind the times… We are supposed to be an ‘advanced country’… High fines? Sounds too harsh.”
“Banning them won’t make people safer, and it won’t stop people from using and selling them. There should be laws that make it easier for people to use them in public places, so people can use them safely.”
“This has to change, it’s an economical and environmentally friendly way to get around, it’s easy to park when not in use, and it doesn’t require a big parking space.”
“How many people die from cars and how many people die from scooters? If there is a safety issue, you have to have a driver’s license, but it’s a pointless law and it’s a waste of time enforcing it.”
Previously, a Chinese woman in Sydney should have been fined A$2,581 for using an electric scooter, which was exclusively reported by the Australia Today App.
Yuli, a Chinese netizen in Sydney, said that the incident occurred on Pyrmont Street in the inner city of Sydney.
Yuli told reporters that she waited until the pedestrian green light before crossing the road. Hearing the siren while taxiing, he subconsciously stopped to give way. Unexpectedly, the police car that had already passed suddenly made a 180-degree U-turn and stopped on the side of the road.
“A policeman got off the police car and asked me to show my driver’s license. I was stunned.” Yuli recalled. “I took out my car driver’s license, but the police said no, saying it was an illegal driver’s license, and they must ask me to show a motorcycle driver’s license. Why do scooters need to show a motorcycle driver’s license? I really don’t understand.”
“I told him that scooters cannot be treated as motorcycles, which is unreasonable. But he was very indifferent, and only said that he didn’t care about these things, and he must show his motorcycle driver’s license.” Yuli told reporters: “It’s just at a loss! How can a scooter be defined as a motorcycle? In my opinion, isn’t a scooter a recreational activity?”
A week later, Yuli received five fines in one go, with a total fine of $2581.
“I bought this car for only 670 dollars. I really can’t understand and accept such a heavy fine!” Yuli said, this fine is a huge sum of money for our family, and we can’t afford it all at once . ”
From the ticket provided by Yuli, it can be seen that she was fined a total of 5 fines, namely (first) unlicensed driving (a fine of 561 Australian dollars), driving an uninsured motorcycle (673 Australian dollars), and driving an unlicensed motorcycle (673 Australian dollars) , driving on footpaths ($337) and driving a vehicle without a helmet ($337).
Post time: Mar-01-2023