Jump onto a Flamingo, but keep off footpath
New Wellington e-scooter providers Flamingo and Jump will have to ensure electric scooters are kept off CBD footpaths if a new ‘‘code of practice’’ is introduced, but it is unclear yet how it will be enforced.
Wellington City Council’s city strategy committee will vote today to introduce the code as an amendment to resolutions to introduce the scooters, made at a meeting on February 14.
Portfolio leader for transport strategy councillor Chris CalviFreeman said the code gave the Council ‘‘more control’’ over how e-scooters were rolled out across the city.
The amendment being considered would require providers to ensure scooters were not ridden on CBD or suburban centre footpaths ‘‘unless it is unsafe to do otherwise’’.
The council had announced that locally owned start-up Flamingo and Uber-owned Jump had been selected as providers for a trial of the electric scooters, beating out six others including Lime, Onzo and Blip for the licences.
If the Council voted against the amendment, officers were ‘‘unlikely’’ to follow through in issuing trading in public places licences to the chosen providers.
Geo-fencing, where the scooter was locked from use in certain locations, was also being considered as a requirement for future e-scooter licensees.
The council was also considering if bike lanes could be used by e-scooters.
Provided they were given the go-ahead, scooters were likely to be zipping around the city streets mid-year. The initial trial was planned to be six months long, but could be extended by a year to allow time for consultation.
Wellington Mayor Justin Lester said the trial would help the council determine policy around micro-mobility transport, which included e-scooters and bike-share schemes.
‘‘As in other cities, transport is continuing to evolve. We want to make sure people have easy access to different ways of getting around – whether they’re just travelling across town or commuting to work.’’
Councillors voted in favour of the trial at the February 14 meeting, but not before adding 17 amendments to the motion to OK the trial, scrambling to ensure they would remain off the city’s narrow footpaths.