E-scooters set to be legalised on Australian streets as part of a bold plan to slash city congestion

NSW plans to legalize e-scooters for commuters traveling to work in a bid to reduce traffic congestion.

The ‘E-micromobility action plan’, which was released ahead of a parliamentary inquiry into electric scooters and bicycles, calls for legalization and regulation of the devices.

Buying an e-scooter in store is currently legal, but using it on the streets and roads of NSW is illegal.

Despite current laws banning e-scooters on NSW roads, there are an estimated 459,000 private e-scooters in the state.

Meanwhile, shared e-scooters are also banned. However, the state has allowed trials of the devices in selected council areas including Albury, Kogarah, Forster-Tuncurry and Wollongong.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen is pushing for the bold plan that will make e-bikes and e-scooters, including shared rental scooters, legal for commuters riding to and from train and metro stations.

Under the proposed plan, e-scooter riders must be 16 years or older, be required by law to wear a helmet and ride on designated bike paths or shared zones.

It also suggested investing in e-scooter infrastructure by creating shared paths and parking for riders and emphasized the need for police enforcement.

Transport for NSW said the plan ‘recognizes the potential of e-micromobility to be a safe, sustainable and accessible transport option for the people of NSW’.

The department added that e-scooters will also help connect and move people between public transportation and would be a “viable and efficient option for last-mile freight.”

Ms Haylen explained that the main motivation is to regulate the use of private e-scooters, but added that the government would also work with municipalities that want shared e-scooters.

She added that legalizing and regulating e-scooters would be a “win for everyone” as it would take pressure off the state’s congested roads.

“Allowing people to ride an e-scooter to the shops or nearby train stations will take pressure off our roads and reduce competition for parking,” Ms Haylen told the newspaper. Daily Telegraph.

“We just have a little more work to do to get the balance right.”

Ms Haylen said e-scooters and e-bikes need new regulation as the devices are not ‘without controversy’, with the report highlighting ‘safety concerns’.

Concerns include speeding, using footpaths, riding an e-scooter while drunk and driving near and around vulnerable pedestrians.

Police received 124 reports of e-scooter accidents in the three years between 2020 and 2023, which resulted in three deaths and 116 injuries, 40 of them seriously.

Pedestrian Council of Australia CEO Harold Scruby has branded the rise of private e-scooters and e-bikes “pure anarchy”.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen has backed the push to legalize e-scooters, claiming it would be a ‘big win for everyone’

In his contribution to the parliamentary inquiry into e-scooters and e-bikes, the pedestrian advocate said the devices would turn footpaths into a ‘hostile’ environment.

“Showing such total disregard for pedestrians and turning footpaths into hostile and potentially deadly environments defies belief,” Mr Scruby said in his submission.

“If not properly addressed, the proliferation of e-rideables could lead to a safety crisis akin to a public health pandemic.”

The move to legalize e-scooters in NSW comes after Melbourne City Council banned them in August.

Melbourne Mayor Nick Reece tabled an amended motion at a Future Melbourne committee meeting calling for the contracts of e-scooter suppliers including Lime and Neuron to be canceled.

The termination of the contracts did not affect private e-scooters, which are still permitted in the CBD and neighboring Carlton and Southbank.