Brisbane council could force mobility scooters to slow down
People who use mobility scooters could have their speed throttled to walking pace in Brisbane under a council bid to toughen regulations.
Brisbane city council has proposed lowering the speed limit for scooters and motorised wheelchairs from 10km/h to 6km/h over concerns they are posing a danger to pedestrians.
It is also pressuring the Queensland state government to introduce licensing requirements for scooter drivers, with minimum standards of physical and cognitive ability.
Nationals senator John Williams has been pushing for greater regulation since his wife, Nancy Capel, was hit and injured by a mobility scooter in August 2016, forcing her to get a hip replacement.
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“[She] took literally one step out of the office and the gopher hit her,” Williams said at the time. “I think we need to see some regulation to keep them away from the point of entry into the shops and the offices, where people are walking in and walking out.”
In September last year, Williams successfully moved a motion at the Nationals’ national conference to support a 6km/h limit, and in December he established a Senate inquiry into the mobility scooter industry.
The inquiry will look into the number of deaths and injuries caused by scooters and whether any regulation is needed. It is due to report in September this year.
Brisbane city councillor Amanda Cooper told the Courier Mail the mobility scooter speed limit was needed “to ensure safety for all’’.
“Council [has also] proposed that state governments consider a basic licensing process to monitor users’ physical and cognitive ability to drive a scooter safely, with the frequency specified by their doctor,” she said.
Currently in Queensland, all motorised wheelchairs must be registered and have an in-built speed limit of 10 km/h.
Registration provides users with compulsory third-party insurance in the event of an accident or collision.
However, scooter users do not need to be licensed, and are considered to be pedestrians under Queensland road rules. Unregistered scooters cannot be used on roads, and must be kept inside the home.
Scooters do not need to be registered in any other state or territory.
Disability advocates have criticised moves to limit scooters’ speed, saying it poses a safety risk to those with mobility issues.
Julie de Waard, a member of the Hervey Bay Safe Scooter Committee, told the ABC in September the 6km/ h limit would make the scooters too slow to cross a road safely.
“They wouldn’t get anywhere,” she said. “At 10km/h crossing a road is already dangerous.”
Greens senator and the party’s disability spokesman, Jordon SteeleJohn, also criticised the wisdom of the Senate inquiry.
“The Australian Greens did not support Senator Williams’s motion for an inquiry into mobility scooters because it does not come from a place of genuine concern for the safety of people who need mobility assistance,” he said at the time.