Australia’s Victoria State Government has approved a year-long e-scooter trial programme across four cities – Melbourne, Yarra, Port Phillip and Ballarat.
From this month micro-mobility operators, Lime and Neuron Mobility, will be running the trial introducing 1,500 e-scooters as part of a state government programme to understand how the devices can be safely incorporated into the transport network.
The trial has a strong emphasis on safety – with built-in technology to promote responsible riding, and specialised training and safety messages for new users. Riders will be required to adhere to most of the same rules as bike riders, including wearing a helmet and slowing down to give way to pedestrians on shared paths.
Geofencing technology will also be used to enforce certain ‘no go’ and ‘go slow’ zones, where speed limits are restricted on shared paths and to show riders where e-scooters can be parked and located.
Under new regulations, e-scooters can travel up to a maximum speed of 20 km/h on bicycle lanes, shared paths and low speed roads, and they will not be allowed on footpaths.
