Mayor wants scooter report
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has called for an urgent council report on safety issues with the region’s controversial new electric scooters.
The Government is also looking at legislation of low-powered vehicles, the category the e-scooters fit into.
Lime Scooters, launched in Auckland and Christchurch just over a week ago, became a topic of rigorous debate at Auckland Council’s Governing Body yesterday morning.
Councillor Christine Fletcher raised the issue, saying she was almost knocked over on her way to the Town Hall for the meeting.
In a statement, New Zealand Lime launcher Hank Rowe said it was committed to working with local authorities to ‘‘tailor Lime’s service to the needs of both cities and will be conducting roundtable discussions with NZTA, Auckland Transport and Christchurch City Council to prioritise safety’’.
It would also be hosting a rider safety summit in the next week to teach users about ‘‘responsible scooter usage’’, Rowe said.
Goff said he was concerned about the e-scooters, which have a top speed of nearly 30kmh and can be ridden on footpaths and roads without a helmet.
An ‘‘urgent memo’’ on safety was ordered. ‘‘I think we do need to examine whether the regulation of scooter use is adequate from a safety perspective,’’ he said. ‘‘I am personally also concerned about the safety risk of the speed at which they’re travelling.
‘‘There is a trial, but I don’t want to have to react after the event if there is a serious injury.’’
Minister of Transport Phil Twyford was also getting a report on the scooters, Goff said.
It was ‘‘visually obvious’’ someone travelling at 25kmh on a footpath could create safety hazards. ‘‘I am worried that it’s occurring in a predominantly unregulated manner in regard to speed,’’ Goff said.
But Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said no-one had raised any concerns about the scooters with her. ‘‘I’ve only seen a lot of happy, smiling faces around town,’’ she said.
Christchurch City Council would review the scooters as part of the three-month pilot.