The Victorian Government has today announced an extension of the state’s e-scooter trial.
The Government says the trial is now set to continue throughout the summer months when scooters are at their most popular, to collect the most comprehensive dataset to inform the future of the program in Victoria.
More than one million people signed up to hire e-scooters in Victoria during the trial – with five million trips taken and more than nine million kilometres travelled.
“The safety of all Victorian road users is our highest priority – we’re taking a considered and evidence-based approach to e-scooters in Victoria to make sure we get this right,” said Minister for Public and Active Transport, Gabrielle Williams.
“The trial has been successful over the winter months, but we’re keen to see it operate over an extended holiday period and in warmer weather to ensure our datasets are comprehensive.”
There are an estimated 100,000 privately owned e-scooters in use in Victoria, with private users making up half of e-scooter riders alongside popular shared scooter hire operators.
The Government says there have been no significant safety incidents during the trial period.
Riders are reminded to wear a helmet, not ride on footpaths, not carry passengers on their scooters, and abide by the same alcohol, drug and mobile device restrictions as when they are driving a car.
E-scooter riders must travel at a maximum speed of 20 kilometres per hour and the e scooters must not be capable of exceeding 25 kilometres per hour to be approved for use.
E-scooter riders and other road users will continue to be educated to help improve the understanding of e-scooter road rules – and it will remain illegal to operate a hire scheme without the approval and agreement of the local council.
“While we’ve undertaken extensive trials on e-scooters under the shared rider scheme – we’re taking the time to analyse the use of private e-scooters to ensure our roads are as safe as possible,” said Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne.
The Department of Transport and Planning is developing a guide for councils with advice on how to manage escooter share schemes, including parking management and operator insurance requirements.
The Government says it will continue to monitor and assess the use of e-scooters across the state and amend regulations if required to address emerging issues.
The trial is set to continue for six months, ending on 5 April 2024.
