Speed wobbles for e-scooters
Wellington is in a spin over e-scooters – tens of thousands of commuters have used them but others see them as a new danger on the footpaths and want them banned.
Wellington City Council has received nearly 5000 submissions ahead of a decision on whether 800 electric scooters, operated by Uber-owned Jump and local startup Flamingo, will stay on the streets for the duration of an 18-month trial. A public survey, which is open until February 2, has been completed by 4962 people. That is the most submissions received by the council on an issue since the Wellington super-city proposal in 2015.
Jump and Flamingo were last year chosen from nine applicants to receive licences for an initial 18-month trial. Each company has 400 scooters distributed throughout the city. There was always a caveat that the council would review progress after six months to decide whether the trial should continue.
After the council survey closes, a report will be presented to councillors, who will vote on whether to continue the trial for another 12 months.
Deputy mayor Sarah Free said the most common feedback had been around large groups of scooters falling over and covering footpaths. ‘‘A strong theme has been around the need for them to be secured when they are parked so they are not getting in the way, and people tripping up on them.’’
There were also elderly people who felt nervous walking on footpaths due to the speed of scooters passing by.
One group has suggested a white line be painted down Oriental Parade to separate walkers from other footpath users, though Free said she was ‘‘not hugely in favour’’ of that.
Free was not a regular user of electric scooters but said they were fun and added vibrancy to the city.
‘‘It is likely we could continue if we make sure that any serious concerns that are raised are able to be addressed.
‘‘If we want to keep these options . . . It really does demand that everybody plays their part in respecting and accommodating others.’’
Lynne Clapham and Geoff Nicholls asked for the scooters to be removed because of safety concerns.
Clapham said she was hit by an electric scooter while riding her bike in Lady Elizabeth Lane on Monday.
‘‘I was thrown off the bike sideways and I hit my head,’’ she said. ‘‘I had to take the day off work. I still have pain in my neck and bruising all down my left thigh. I was pretty damn shaken.
‘‘I am a fairly experienced cyclist, I had a good helmet on, I was not going fast. But somebody else, that could have been a major issue, they could be dead.
‘‘I think [the scooter trial] should be stopped now and if they are not going to ban them, they need to put some serious enforcement measures in place.’’
Nicholls also said he was injured by a scooter last week, when he was hit while walking in Courtenay Place. He said he tore tendons in his shoulder and may have to have surgery. ‘‘I am very keen for Wellington to ban them. The whole concept of pushing forward with alternative transport to reduce congestion is all very well but turning a pedestrian walkway into a place of fear and trepidation is no way to proceed.’’
While electric scooters have faced scrutiny, statistics show they are not causing significantly more injuries than other common commuting methods.
ACC figures show there have been 153 claims related to electric scooters in Wellington since Jump and Flamingo launched. In the six months before the rideshare scooters launching, there were 44 claims – all presumably related to privately owned electric scooters.
Figures were not available for Wellington but in Auckland there had been more claims for push scooter injuries (29 per week) than electric scooters (22 per week). Electric scooters were roughly in line with skateboard accidents (19 per week) and less than a third of cycling accidents (73 per week).
Flamingo founders Jacksen Love and Nick Hyland said they had been ‘‘overwhelmed with support’’ during the six-month trial. More than 50,000 people had tried Flamingo scooters in Wellington, for a total of 300,000 rides.
They said Flamingo had made a number of safety and training adjustments based on public feedback, including a new GPS tracking system to better detect when a user was ending a ride inside a ‘‘no parking zone’’.
Jump recently launched a second generation of scooters with wider tyres and suspension, which are slower but better controlled.
Flamingo also launched a new model in Auckland on Thursday, which features lever brakes, larger wheels, and an automated electronic brake for lowspeed zones.