A LITTLE BIT OF COMMON SENSE KEEPS EVERYONE SAFE

WHEN the sea of orange e-scooters invaded Darwin’s shores many assumed they would be a short-lived fad. But as the months went by their numbers increased and the e-scooter quickly became either a popular mode of transport or public enemy No.1, depending on who was speaking.

In a bid to jump on the growing trend, the start-up behind the scooters, Neuron, dumped thousands of them on CBD footpaths, and now it is rare to walk down a street without almost tripping over at least one.

Some Territorians were quick to judge the city transport upgrade, dismissing them as a nuisance and unnecessary.

And maybe their early judgments were correct with many healthcare professionals now speaking of the severe risks to not only the riders – who often fail to use the provided helmet – but also pedestrians.

On footpaths, e-scooters do pose dangers to pedestrians, wheelchair users and particularly people who are blind or partially sighted. As a vehicle weighing tens of kilograms and running at 25km/h (though in Darwin they are limited to 15km/h), the e-scooter can pack a hell of a punch when coming at you full speed.

But using the scooters on roads without sufficient infrastructure such as cycle lanes is also risky, especially due to lack of regulations. They are operating everywhere, parks, footpaths, bike trails, and roads with zero protection for personal or property damage.

One thing that cannot be denied is the popularity of escooters continues to rise.

Tourists and Darwin young adults believe the e-scooter to be a evolved mode of transportation.

Combining the best parts of travelling by car, bike and foot, the e-scooter allows the rider to traverse multiple types of terrain quickly and without getting stuck in traffic. Research suggests that by 2024, 4.6 million shared e-scooters will be in operation worldwide, up from 774,000 in 2019.

A CDU researcher, Ciprian Radavoi, believes there is “something wrong” with how the rules around scooters are made. But perhaps its more that the riders are not following the rules?

The scooters are fun but safety must come first. Use the bell, use a helmet and, most importantly, use common sense.

That way they will be safe for pedestrians, riders will get where they need to go and there is less chance they will be banned.