Australian city councils highlight safety risks and anti-social behaviour

Melbourne City Council has voted to ban rented electric scooters from the central business district because they pose an unacceptable risk to public safety and are associated with anti-social behaviour.

Lawmakers in Australia’s second-biggest city have given two operators – Uber-backed Lime and Singapore-based Neuron Mobility – 30 days to remove their scooters from the city centre, ending their contracts six months early, local media reported. A trial run of the vehicles has been underway in the city since February 2022.

“The safety of Melbourne residents is constantly threatened by drivers who do the wrong things – riding on the pavement, double-tripping, riding without a helmet and driving under the influence of alcohol,” Mayor Nicholas Reece said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

“E-scooters end up on our sidewalks, in parks and in public places – and create tripping hazards.”

The growing popularity of electric scooters as a means of getting around town has been accompanied by a corresponding increase in injuries and hospital admissions, typically affecting young men, according to a study conducted by the University of New South Wales earlier this year.

Paris became the first European capital to ban car rental last year after over 90% of people voted in favor of a ban in a referendum.

Although private use of electric scooters is still illegal in Sydney, the New South Wales state government said in July that it was working with authorities to test rental systems.

Private ownership of such vehicles remains legal throughout Melbourne, although driving on pavements is prohibited and speed limits apply.

“Politics” in the election year

“Unfortunately, the political circumstances of the election year played a significant role in this sudden and unexpected pause,” a Lime spokesperson said in a statement, referring to the October municipal elections.

“We do not expect this isolated decision to impact authorities outside Melbourne as we are seeing tremendous momentum around the world in the adoption of shared e-scooters in cities.”

Lime, which also rents electric bikes, said earlier this year it would invest more than $55 million to expand its global fleet, including in Australia. Uber owned about 29 percent of Lime at the end of last year.

“We are deeply disappointed that a narrow majority of Melbourne City Councillors (six votes to four) have made the unexpected decision to cancel the city’s e-scooter program without conducting the necessary consideration and evaluation that one would expect,” a Neuron Mobility spokesperson said in a statement.