Buying an Electric Scooter in Melbourne - Should I Buy One?

Lvikram425 on 13/11/2019 - 13:52
Last edited 13/11/2019 - 14:19 by 1 other user

I am planning to buy an electric scooter (Xiaomi or a Ninebot), for my daily commute. It would cut down at least my daily travel time by 1 hour.

Will be used to get to go from home >> station >> work and back. I see a lot of people these but at the same time if I google the electric scooter laws in Victoria it states that -

"Victorian law stipulates that a motorised scooter cannot travel faster than 10km/h. Additionally, a motorised scooter must have a maximum power output of 200 watts or less. …"

Has anyone has ever got a ticket for riding an electric scooter ? Is it the case that the scooter should not be driven faster than 10km/h or it should not be capable of doing 10 km/h ?

More importantly should I buy one?

Thanks in advance guys!

Automotive Electric Scooter

Comments

  • GG57 on 13/11/2019 - 14:05
    +2

    Two different things:

    1. has anyone has ever got a ticket for riding an electric scooter?
      Probably not, but someone will be the first

    2. is it the case that the scooter should not be driven faster than 10km/h or it should not be capable of doing 10 km/h?
      Should not be capable (is my understanding)

  • k-rokfm on 13/11/2019 - 14:10
    +1

    as it would cut down at least my daily travel time by 1 hour.

    What is your current commute time at the moment? I would dispute this figure unless youre walking an hour each way??

    has anyone has ever got a ticket for riding an electric scooter ?

    Not necessarily in vic / scooter, but ive definitely heard of people getting tickets on electric bikes.

    is it the case that the scooter should not be driven faster than 10km/h or it should not be capable of doing 10 km/h ?

    As long as youre not riding it in a dangerous / hoon manner i honestly dont think you would get any trouble from the popo

    From my quick google of one - about 5 hour charge, probs max 1hr use time - would this be suitable, or would you be required to charge it at work too - would they have an issue with that?

    • vikram425 on 13/11/2019 - 14:49

      k-rokfm thanks for your inputs.

      train ride to work is just 30 mins direct, but the time taking to get to and from station in total is 1 hour daily average

      Currently i have to drive from my home park my car at the a shopping center, as there is no parking at the station, and then wait anywhere from 20 40 minutes before i get a bus to the train station, and the same story while coming back.

      I did check at my work they dont have any problems with me charging the scooter if needed.

  • Anouk on 13/11/2019 - 14:16
    +2

    I've been riding a Xiaomi M365 Pro since July (1100km+) commuting to/from work daily in Melbourne CBD area. Ride responsibly, respect the rules, respect pedestrians, wear a helmet, don't be an idiot. I've scooted past police several times and haven't had any issues.

    • try2bhelpful on 13/11/2019 - 14:46

      They do seem a fun way to travel but you would be pretty vulnerable in an accident with any speed. I think the cops are reserving the right to determine if they give a rats. So far the amount of paper work involved is probably holding them back.

      • k-rokfm on 13/11/2019 - 14:51

        you would be pretty vulnerable in an accident with any speed

        Probably even less than riding a push bike. There would be no reason to be riding these on the roads. Anything on a pathway should be easily avoidable / able to minimise impact

        • try2bhelpful on 13/11/2019 - 15:01

          If you were riding with any speed on the footpath the cops might be interested, but should be cool on bike paths.

      • John on 13/11/2019 - 17:30
        +2

        It just takes one really bad incident, like what happened in Singapore where an eScooter rider killed someone.. then it will get all the attention and scrutinity from the authority. I reckon best to stay on the right side of law, buy a scooter that is legal to future proof it.

        Also, I think the meaning of the law is that the scooter should not be able to go faster than 10 km/h. Otherwise it wouldn't stipulate deeper into the motor size.

    • RustyOz on 20/11/2019 - 08:45

      +1 - 1,700km of commuting to a satellite city in Perth and use a mixture of road bike lane and footpath while wearing helmet. Commute takes me past the police training academy… never had any issues. But that is not to say I won't have issues in the future, should an officer take grievance in my method of transport.

  • brendanm on 13/11/2019 - 14:17

    Get an evolve

    • vikram425 on 13/11/2019 - 14:50

      dont know how to skate :(

      • brendanm on 13/11/2019 - 16:32

        Neither do I but I have one, it's not hard. It's a longboard so you need basically zero skill.

  • jjjaar on 13/11/2019 - 16:27

    I think the rules you have found apply to motorised mobility scooters that elderly or those unable to walk use.

    These rules are to protect pedestrians using the footpath as motorised mobility scooters are meant to be in shared pedestrian zones.

    From my understanding, the electric scooters you are talking about aren’t allowed to be used on footpaths (like bikes), or in bike lanes, though enforcement of these will vary depending on who you pass.

  • CMH on 13/11/2019 - 16:59

    My partner rides one to work, and I use it every so often.

    I usually ride on the path, but as a rule I will go on the road if there's no center dividing line. This limits to just residential streets which generally see no traffic anyway.

    Yeah, see police all the time (house is near a police station) no problems at all. Basically be sensible, wear a helmet, etc etc.

  • Euphemistic on 13/11/2019 - 18:40

    Why risk a ticket buying a device that isn’t legal?

    Why not just buy a legal electric bicycle? They can travel on roads and up to 25km/h wit assist, or faster if you pedal.

  • kusama on 13/11/2019 - 19:02

    I would really consider this. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/raine-scooters/the-rain…

    Melbourne based but bit of a wait

  • lyon on 19/02/2020 - 14:47

    Has anyone ever left their electric scooter on the train station? i.e locking it on the fence like a traditional bike? I'm wondering how safe it is…

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join