E-mobility Electric Scooters Electric bicycles

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Lagging infrastructure the key to Brisbane's e-mobility push, sector says

Transport sector groups say much more work is still needed to aid rapid growth in electric scooter and bike usage after the announcement of new council-led influx set to add a further 1800 vehicles to Brisbane streets in weeks.

Lagging infrastructure has been singled out as a key focus with renewed calls for a state government review of laws barring e-scooters from travelling on roads and bike lanes backed by initial responses to a trial in segregated CBD cycleways. ...

[tazzer9]

Really annoyed Lime is getting the boot.  I used beam for the first time a few weeks ago in Adelaide and it was not a good experience. 
I understand that they were forced to limit them to 15km/h down there, but the poor customer service, the bikes locking once out of their service area.  Not great at all. 

And the "free" first ride that is someone limited to $5. 

[brissypete]

I tried one of the Neuron bikes in Adelaide back in March and I was not impressed.  Having an ebike myself I found them heavy and badly designed. They are very front heavy and just seem awkward to ride.

My own bike is about 20kg and feels light in comparison.

I'd not be surprised if the new bikes end up poorly used as well.

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk

[tazzer9]

I had a similar problem when I first used lime bikes in Sydney.  Used them once and didn't use them again for safety reasons.   Almost rear ended a bus going down a steep hill because the brakes were so bad.

The council is doing the best job the can the stuff up something that could be so easily implemented

[verbatim9]

I have ridden the Lime ebikes on the Gold Coast. They are good but also heavy. The seat does extend right up and caters for people up to 190-200cm. I can't compare with the proposed E bikes they are getting in Brisbane. Will have to wait and see. Yes it's a shame that Lime is going. It would of been good to have a third operator.

[brissypete]

By comparison I've seen images of the ebike hire scheme in Newcastle and they appear to be quite decent looking bikes,they have docking stations similar to city cycle and have decent plan pricing too, daily plan $10 with unlimited rides up to 60 minutes each.  https://bykko.com.au/

I'll be spending a few days in August (all going well) and hope to try these out.

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk

[verbatim9]

By comparison I've seen images of the ebike hire scheme in Newcastle and they appear to be quite decent looking bikes,they have docking stations similar to city cycle and have decent plan pricing too, daily plan $10 with unlimited rides up to 60 minutes each.  https://bykko.com.au/

I'll be spending a few days in August (all going well) and hope to try these out.

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk

I was going to utilise those bikes last time I was there. Unfortunately the docking stations near the beaches have already rusted out. Not sure if they have been replaced since. Many of the bikes were  not rideable as well. Hopefully they have addressed that issue too.

[verbatim9]

From the report to Council the Electric bike docking station model for Brisbane was going to be too expensive and not sustainable in the long run. Hence why they chose a dockless system.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/QueenslandWalks/status/1402499439181238277

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/bbcouch/status/1402581237643030529

[verbatim9]

https://twitter.com/10NewsFirstQLD/status/1407236066302738432

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Helmet fines to soar as e-scooter fleet doubles in Brisbane $

The number of Brisbane e-scooter riders fined for not wearing helmets could rise dramatically as double the vehicles, plus shared e-bikes, hit footpaths this month.

Police data shows the number of fines issued so far this year hit 536 as of May 31, compared with 449 across all of 2020, as the council released its long-awaited strategy for the sector with a goal of reducing the offending rate. ...

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/couriermail/status/1416896659141795844

[ozbob]

Rules for personal mobility devices

https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/wheeled-devices/personal-mobility-devices

[verbatim9]

E bikes and new scooters hit the roads, streets, footpaths and bikeways from today.

[verbatim9]

Councillor Ryan Murphy--->https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=349657776528906&id=100044540585013&sfnsn=mo

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1418305191821017090

[Cazza]

Behind every outcome, there is a cause and a reason. I'm willing to bet a fair chunk of these hospitalisations are due to inadequate bike separation and poor quality footpaths. We need to have a connected and separated bike network to improve safety and encourage more to use personal and these public bikes and scooters. The City CycleLink is a great start, however, the reason no one really uses it is because it isn't really connected to anything else. Bicentennial Bikeway- nope. Goodwill bridge- nope. Riverside Dr through West End- I'd barely call it a connection, let alone an easy or legible one. Existing bike lanes on George St at the courts- nope. Northern Bikeway through Roma st parklands- again, nope. These are some pretty quick and easy fixes I would have thought. Over to you BCC...

[SurfRail]

I suspect a lot more people end up in the ED after coming a cropper in car-related accidents, and for substantially worse reasons

[Cazza]

Which has a lot to do with the lack of proper separated bike infrastructure...

[verbatim9]

Behind every outcome, there is a cause and a reason. I'm willing to bet a fair chunk of these hospitalisations are due to inadequate bike separation and poor quality footpaths. We need to have a connected and separated bike network to improve safety and encourage more to use personal and these public bikes and scooters. The City CycleLink is a great start, however, the reason no one really uses it is because it isn't really connected to anything else. Bicentennial Bikeway- nope. Goodwill bridge- nope. Riverside Dr through West End- I'd barely call it a connection, let alone an easy or legible one. Existing bike lanes on George St at the courts- nope. Northern Bikeway through Roma st parklands- again, nope. These are some pretty quick and easy fixes I would have thought. Over to you BCC...

The network is very disjointed.


The connection to the Normanby Bikeway is meant to get fixed up later this decade with the new Brisbane Arena. There are also proposals for a new segregated Bikeway to the Barracks. Unfortunately this is not going to happen until the mid to late 2020s.

Riverside Drive is relatively safe, but the Council prioritises free parking there for tradies that work in the city and surrounding developments. This diminishes Riverside Dr as an dedicated active transport corridor.

Concerning the connection down to the bi centennial bikeway from Victoria Bridge. There is meant to be a new ramp off Queens Wharf road for cyclists in the future. This doesn't solve the problem at Herschel street where both cyclists and pedestrians need to cross the busy intersection of North Quay that enters the Freeway. There should be a pedestrian and cycling underpass here, that connects with the Herschel street ramp down to the Bi Centennial Bikeway.

Also it's too late now, but the bike path along Victoria Bridge should of been on the Western side with the path continuing along Adelaide Street to George St. Then crossing George St to a bi directional Bikeway continuing from the courts to Elizabeth Street. This would of been a better connection to the CityLink cycle way.

They would of received more cycling traffic this way as well, because of cyclists cycling to and from Herschel Street.


Re Elizabeth Street cycle way. It's great that they have trialled it there, but I hardly use it. I still travel down Adelaide Street and right into Edward Street then left into Queen Street as this is fastest and more convenient way.

I am all for them retaining the Elizabeth Street Bikeway as it provides much needed general traffic calming along that corridor.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/MarkBaileyMP/status/1432088579249823746

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1433801511113351173

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> New safety trial for e-scooters in Brisbane as riders, pedestrians get hurt $

E-scooter company Neuron is trialling a host of new safety features in locations around the world including Brisbane.

The move comes as the Queensland Ambulance Service raises concerns about e-scooters more generally, following recent incidents of people being hurt.

A man suffered head injuries on the night of November 2, when he fell off a scooter in Brisbane's West End, and that same night a woman suffered "minor abrasions" after being hit by a person riding a scooter.

QAS clinical director Lachlan Parker said the two incidents on the same night prompted him to issue a warning for people to take e-scooters seriously.  ...

[#Metro]

The move comes as the Queensland Ambulance Service raises concerns about e-scooters more generally, following recent incidents of people being hurt.

The implication here is that scooters are an unacceptable risk because the incident rate isn't zero?
How many car incidents did QAS have on the same day?

And I find that pedestrians are completely unaware these days because they have noise canceling headphones they literally cannot hear anything at all. You can beep your horn and it all gets filtered out! Very dangerous.

I think certain sounds need to penetrate though these headphone filters.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ljstone09/status/1457828663647367169

[Cazza]

Agree Metro. BCC are really falling behind with putting in cheap, safe and convenient dedicated bike lanes. Not only do they increase rider safety but also significantly increase pedestrian safety too, especially with this e scooter boom. There is so much low hanging fruit and many missing links in our bike infrastructure, yet they are making out that these new green bridges will come in and turn our city into a cycling paradise. Don't get me wrong, they will be game changers for the city, but small things like connecting the existing bikelanes on George st to the rest of the CBD cycle lanes or having a suitable connection from the goodwill bridge/bicentennial Bikeway up to north quay and onto the cbd bikes lanes would be so easy to install literally overnight. We need a network of safe infrastructure, not 4 flagship bridges.

Even just blocking off more local roads to stop through traffic and therefore would make them more cycle friendly would provide huge benefits to locals and commuters alike. London has been a great leader of this in recent years, along with their huge expansion of their protected cycleways. These are the kind of cities we need to be following, not our English speaking counterparts across the Pacific. $115 million to "upgrade" Wynnum Rd for a km? I've never seen traffic this bad on it. The attached image is from as I speak. Think of how much quality cycle infrastructure $115 million could fund?

[#Metro]

No bus lanes on Wynnum Road either. #Fail

Did you know that BCC caps the number of scooters to 1000 per company for the entire city?

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/radio_austin/status/1460360853585219587

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Tighter private e-scooter regulations to be discussed at Queensland government roundtable

Private e-scooter use has become the "wild west of the e-mobility market" and needs to be better regulated, Brisbane City Council transport chair Ryan Murphy says, ahead of a state government roundtable on e-scooter laws.

Key points:
E-scooter regulation will be the focus of a roundtable discussion in the coming weeks
Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey says a broad range of stakeholders will be invited
The roundtable aims to develop a "balanced package" of changes to better regulate e-scooters

Transport Minister Mark Bailey last week told ABC Radio Brisbane the state was preparing a roundtable discussion on e-scooter regulation in Queensland, saying the state was "grappling with what the right balance is".

"There are obviously advantages about people getting around in a way that's a bit more environmentally friendly, but it's also got to be done safely as well," he said. ...

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Record month for e-scooter injuries as reports reveal Queensland's high crash zones $

Head, face and leg injuries have landed Queensland e-scooter riders at the emergency department at a rising rate this year with November topping the ladder for overnight ambulance calls before the month's end.

An analysis of overnight e-scooter incidents reported by Queensland Ambulance Service each day this year has revealed Fortitude Valley and Brisbane City have the highest crash rate where riders need medical attention.

Paramedics have been called to at least one crash a week in 2021 and this month has been the worst yet with 12 overnight incidents reported, including seven in the past week.

Emergency Department specialist at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Dr Gary Mitchell said the number of injured e-scooter riders presenting at emergency departments was actually much higher with almost three to four at his hospital alone each day.

The Jamieson Trauma Institute researcher who instigated a review of the incidence and nature of injuries across Brisbane said there had been a gradual increase across the Royal Brisbane, Mater and Princess Alexandra hospitals.

Dr Mitchell believes the higher number of overnight crashes at Fortitude Valley and in the city could be linked to alcohol consumption. ...

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ljstone09/status/1462530426854014979

[#Metro]

This is silly. Are they going to lock cars out of the Valley too?
Scooters are very useful for hospitality staff to get home after work, often this is midnight to 3 am.

Missed the boat on this one!! 

[Jonno]

This is silly. Are they going to lock cars out of the Valley too?
Scooters are very useful for hospitality staff to get home after work, often this is midnight to 3 am.

Missed the boat on this one!! 

I do think cars should be locked out of the Valley though

[Gazza]

^Based.

[Cazza]

Always gives me a laugh on a late night out when the variable speed limit signs still show 60 on both Ann and Wickham sts. What's the point of having them if they aren't even used when they're needed most?

[verbatim9]

Always gives me a laugh on a late night out when the variable speed limit signs still show 60 on both Ann and Wickham sts. What's the point of having them if they aren't even used when they're needed most?

Yes should be 40kph from 5 pm Friday to midnight Sunday.

If people want a faster trip across town during those periods they should go via the tunnels.

Buses rarely reach 50kph around that area at the best of times, so it wouldn't really affect bus services.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Queensland Government to introduce e-scooter regulations after rise in serious crashes $

State Transport Minister Bailey has sensationally claimed Brisbane City Council "listens to no one" on the eve of a meeting to address e-scooter safety as serious crashes continue to rise.

The State Government is set to introduce new legislation in response to the crisis.

Speaking on Wednesday's roundtable, which will be attended by more than 50 stakeholders to address electric scooter safety, Mr Bailey said council "jumped the gun" and imposed a curfew on e-scooters without listening to key voices on the issue.

"The purpose of the roundtable is to listen to stakeholders, and they've made a rule change without listening to anybody," Mr Bailey said. ...

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Opinion: Scooter future needs a brand new set of rules $

Cr Ryan Murphy

Cities were expected to be redesigned around the Segway, instead it's the humble scooter that is forcing changes to our road rules, writes Ryan Murphy.

Engineer James Trackson rolled down Brisbane's ­Elizabeth St in 1902 in Queensland's first car and ­certainly raised a few eyebrows.

Trackson was a trailblazer, establishing Brisbane's telephone exchange and installing the city's first street lamps during an era of innovation. He was also one of RACQ's founders.

But behind the wheel of his "Locomobile", Trackson was entering a fractious debate with horse riders who were adamant the newfangled contraptions had no place on city roads.

The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate had opined that the new "crude form of mechanically driven carriages" wouldn't impact on demand for the reliable horse.

This view proved to be shortsighted, but legislators at the time ­struggled with the issue.

There's a clear parallel between this car-versus-horse imbroglio and the current debate about the ever-expanding range of e-mobility options hitting city streets.

The Schrinner Council did a bit of trailblazing of its own in 2018 by being the first in Australia to ­establish a shared e-scooter scheme. What started with just 500 Lime scooters has now grown to 2000
e-scooters and 800 e-bikes operated by Beam and Neuron.

More than five million people have journeyed across Brisbane using shared e-mobility devices since late-2018, that's more than CityCycle could rack up in a decade.

Brisbane residents think this fleet of electric vehicles are convenient and inexpensive, which is why every day 8000 trips are taken on them in our city. ...

[ozbob]

Media Release
Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Mark Bailey

24th November 2021

Scooter safety front of mind

The thinking helmets are on as stakeholders come together to address electric scooter safety.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said he was committed to working with Brisbane City Council and advisory groups to find the best outcome for all.

"This roundtable discussion aims to bring all sides of the conversation together to discuss scooter safety, regulation and connectivity," Mr Bailey said.

"Share providers, scooter retailers and user groups have been invited to attend, alongside Brisbane City Council, disability advocacy groups, and road safety organisations.

"Invitees will have an opportunity to present to the group and we will discuss the key issues on e-scooter safety.

"This is a valuable opportunity for all sides of the conversation to come together, discuss future opportunities, understand industry barriers and put forward a plan for electric mobility devices."

Following the roundtable, Mr Bailey said key themes would be investigated by the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

"This important discussion will ensure we take a balanced and measured approach to e-scooter safety, rules and regulations," he said.

"We've seen a massive uptake in active transport over the past year, which is great for the environment, good for health and wellbeing and helps to reduce congestion on our roads.

"That's why it's more important than ever to make sure we get the balance right when deciding pathway forward.

"I look forward to hearing views from all sides of the conversation and once my department completes any necessary investigations, we will have a better understanding of the future of e-scooters on our footpaths, bikeways and roads."

More information on the current road rules for personal mobility devices can be found on the Queensland Government website.

ENDS