Legality of Personal Electric Scooters in Suburban/Metro Brisbane

GenghisGun on 12/12/2018 - 09:58
Last edited 12/12/2018 - 10:50

Hi all,

I just wanted to query if there was any clear definition of the legality of electric scooters for personal/commuter use on suburban or metro Brisbane Roads OR Footpaths?

Update:

A commenter below linked the following:
https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/wheeled-device…

I also found this on BCC's website showing no-go zones and regulations:
https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/sports…

After trialling the Lime service recently, I was pretty taken with the speed and convenience of the mode of transportation and if legal, would consider buying a quality e-Scooter for personal commuting, to negate the need for a car to fill that gap between home/work and the train travel I frequently do.

And, since it is something that frequently gets commented, no I haven't considered walking the same distance, as it is somewhat prohibitively laborious, and would take substantially longer - 2km on foot is NOT the same as 2km at ~20-25 km/hr :). And the option of using a bike, even a folding one, is not reasonable in peak hour trains with the limited space. And generally, I find the scooter to be incredibly fun, more so than a bike - hard to convey that one if you've never done the e-Scooter thing.

Thanks
GG

P.S. Where can Australians buy half decent e-Scooter models that deliver to Australia? What good value options do we have to buy/deliver here?

Sports & Outdoors Scooter

Comments

  • D C on 12/12/2018 - 10:16
    -4

    If it's anything like NSW, electric scooters are classed as unregistered vehicles, and the fine is about $650. Maybe Lime will pay that for you.

    Foot-powered is ok, electric isn't.

  • D C on 12/12/2018 - 10:20
    +8

    Huh, well 5 seconds on the Google turned up this: https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/wheeled-device…, so yeah, electric scooters are legal in QLD.

    Standard comment about lazy-assed OP not doing his own research goes here.

    • GenghisGun on 12/12/2018 - 10:38
      -1

      Motorised foot scooters

      "A motorised foot scooter is a scooter which has an electric motor attached of 200 watts output or less. The official mark on the motor will verify the wattage. The motorised foot scooter must not be capable of travelling faster than 10km/h on level ground.
      When using a motorised foot scooter you must wear an approved bicycle helmet securely fitted and fastened."

      I think the majority of ones used for personal commuting ("mobility") would be greater than 200 watts, and almsot certainly are capable of >10 kph

      Personal Mobility Devices

      I think the actual link for commuter spec Personal Mobility Devices is this:
      https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/wheeled-device…

      In Queensland, a personal mobility device can be used on road-related areas such as paths and nature strips.

      To use a personal mobility device in Queensland, it must:

      be designed for use by a single person only
      be self-balancing while in use
      be powered by an electric motor
      have 2-wheels that operate on a single axis
      have a control to limit speed to 12km/h or less
      have a maximum speed of 20km/h
      have a maximum width of 850mm
      have a maximum weight of 60kg—when not carrying a person or load.

      Thanks for your help.

      • D C on 12/12/2018 - 11:10
        +1

        have 2-wheels that operate on a single axis

        That's not a scooter unless you feel like arguing about the definition of an axis.

        But anyway, unlike NSW you can have electric scooters, Segways, and all that. But not mono-wheels or rocket skates apparently.

    • tranter on 12/12/2018 - 10:51

      Standard comment about OzBargainer jumping the gun in comments section goes here.

      • D C on 12/12/2018 - 11:17

        How so?

        I'd counter that OP jumped the gun, seems they actually are perfectly capable of getting The Googles to work (but why do that when you can waste time on a forum).

        • tranter on 12/12/2018 - 11:19

          You could say that about almost any forum topic.

        • GenghisGun on 12/12/2018 - 12:05

          To say that is to imply that any discussion is wasted time. One might argue that any open ended question, whether it has a simple answer or not, is a vessel for thoughtful and fulfilling public discussion; perhaps that was even the goal of the entire thing.

          Sounding a bit like D C has a bee somewhere in their proverbial bonnet today and may have come to OzBargain to get it out.

          • D C on 12/12/2018 - 12:23
            +1

            @GenghisGun:

            Sounding a bit like D C has a bee somewhere in their proverbial bonnet today and may have come to OzBargain to get it out.

            Yeah, you got me. I was racking my brain trying to think of a lame post, and you beat me to it. So annoyed.

            You have to agree you could easily less of a lazy ass and found the answer to your question with little effort (even les than a forum post).

            As an aside I like the idea of more bikes, scooters, Segways, rocket skates and all that. NSW is very much on the "yeah nah" side though.

  • BargainCowboy on 12/12/2018 - 10:21

    Just venting - these Lime scooters are a serious hazard for pedestrians, cyclists and riders themselves. It's not long before someone gets seriously injured. I ride to the Valley every day and these things whizz past me, often with no helmet and very shaky.

    • GenghisGun on 12/12/2018 - 10:48

      I can see how they could be dangerous with reckless driving - I think that this is something that should be controlled by regulation or similar. The same way that any tool is dangerous if in the wrong hands, these will always be a potential for misuse, but the prevalence of these being used in a shared commuting space should prompt laws around the use of them.

      P.S. Operators legally must wear "approved helmets" for what that's worth.

      Personally, I would see it as a shame to outlaw them across the board, or severely limit the approved legal use of them to the point where people don't use them; I think that in the nexus of a modern, sustainable society, a variety of safe and enticing options for people to sustainably commute, such as the bike, e-scooter and others (roller blades?? lol) is essential.

      Thanks for your comment

      • RockyRaccoon on 12/12/2018 - 11:09
        +1

        Like everything, cars etc, the issue isn’t the device itself, it’s when everyone has one. 10 scooters on a 2km trip is manageable but 200 then it becomes a problem. Go to any Asian large city eg Hanoi, and walking is dangerous because of the numbers of motor bikes.

        However the ‘limit’ you complain about stops some people but not all. In reality your issue is if the regulations don’t suit you.

      • D C on 12/12/2018 - 11:11
        -1

        P.S. Operators legally must wear "approved helmets" for what that's worth.

        How's that help the pedestrians?

        • AdamFury on 12/12/2018 - 11:19
          +1

          Original comment pointed out that the scooters are a risk to the riders themselves and wear no helmets. OP was confirming that they obviously do have to wear them but just like any law is possible to be broken. Often see cyclists without helmets for example.

          • D C on 12/12/2018 - 11:24
            -1

            @AdamFury:

            Original comment pointed out

            this:

            serious hazard for pedestrians, cyclists and riders themselves

            OP piped up with "but helmets!"

            I don't see how you wearing a helmet is going to benefit me as I get run over.

            • AdamFury on 12/12/2018 - 11:27
              +2

              @D C: Hahaha yeah I'm not disagreeing with you. Just trying to link up the points that have been posted.

              I think they aren't a bad idea but need a little regulation without being completely outlawed.

    • tranter on 12/12/2018 - 11:02
      +2

      Replace 'Lime scooters' with 'motor vehicles'.
      :)

      I agree, top speed should be reduced a little. It's a great initiative though.

      • payton on 12/12/2018 - 11:22

        doubt you'll sing the same tune when (as a pedestrian) you get hit by one of them thru no fault of your own :)

        • tranter on 12/12/2018 - 11:23

          Already happened, a car knocked me off my motorcycle.

          • D C on 12/12/2018 - 11:27

            @tranter: You landed on your helmet, right?

            Irrelevant anecdote is irrelevant.

            Come back when you run over a pedestrian on your motorbike (or vice versa).

            • tranter on 12/12/2018 - 11:33

              @D C: There have already been 100,000 Lime trips taken in Brisbane. How many injured or killed?

            • knobbs on 12/12/2018 - 12:48
              -1

              @D C: I don't see how his anecdote is irrelevant?

              A motorcycle getting hit by a car is I would say generally worse of an incident than pedestrian getting hit by a scooter. It is a similar situation, car hits bike / scooter hits pedestrian.

              • D C on 12/12/2018 - 13:51

                @knobbs:

                I don't see how his anecdote is irrelevant?

                Car vs bike is a bit different to scooter vs pedestrian.

                The bike rider is "dressed for slide" as the saying goes, pedestrians tend to be a bit light on protective gear. Even skateboards do a good job of taking them out.

                I've been in a few motorcycle accidents, some not even my own fault. Rollerblading put me in hospital though. The gear matters.

        • sheamas88 on 12/12/2018 - 11:27
          +5

          I won't blame the scooter, I'll blame the asshat who is riding it. Blaming a vehicle for the problems only shifts the blame away from the people really responsible.

          • D C on 12/12/2018 - 12:14

            @sheamas88:

            blame the asshat

            Doesn't help much.

            How about we change the law so we get to kick said asshats in the testicles daily (sod your gender equality - they'll have testicles) if they run you over.

            "For being an asshat I hereby sentence you to 3 months of being kicked in the testicles, starting immediately.".

    • outlander on 12/12/2018 - 13:34

      May be a danger for the current fat brain dead population, but people who grew up with them would grow to adapt and find a balance. Its too valuable a technology to let minor hiccups stop it. The potential benefits to society are massive

      Problem is, the first adopters of any technology don't know their limits and always push it too far. Speeding along at 25km/h is great until you need to suddenly stop and your body isn't adapted to handle the strain.

      As a compromise, I would say limit the speed on footpaths to 10-15km/h, and if you want to go faster than that you need to ride on roads and wear a helmet. I also propose they make scooters with 3 or 4 wheels to make them more stable for the fat brain dead population

  • Diji1 on 12/12/2018 - 11:59
    +1

    not be capable of travelling faster than 10km/h on level ground.

    When using a motorised foot scooter you must wear an approved bicycle helmet

    Seriously?

    Should we criminalise running without a helmet as well? I hear sprinters can even approach death at speeds of MORE THAN 10KM/H so it seems sensible to me.

    • D C on 12/12/2018 - 12:17
      +1

      Seriously?

      I suspect it's a case of "ok, we'll make it legal but impractical so we get to fine you whenever we feel like it". I wonder when the last revision of the rules was.

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