Latest news with #eRideables
News.com.au
14-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
WA announces investigation into electric bikes and scooters
The WA government will launch a statewide investigation into the safety of electric bikes and scooters in response to growing community concern. The government will set up a bipartisan Parliamentary Committee to find ways to strengthen the safety and regulation of the 'e-rideables'. The state has had four fatalities involving e-rideables since the start of the year, including that of Perth dad Thahn Phan, who was allegedly hit by a British tourist last week on a rented e-scooter. Following that incident the state government said that it needed to do more. 'We have very strict regulations about the speed of e-scooters,' said Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti. 'But it's obvious we need to do more on compliance.' she said. The committee is set to investigate the expansion of penalties, how the vehicles are rented, how they are used in congested areas and how technology like speed limiting can be used to make them safer. Announcing the new committee, Police and Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby said the government wanted to do 'as much as possible' to keep everyone safe from e-rideables. 'I've become increasingly concerned about safety issues around e-rideables and e-scooters and I'm particularly concerned about the safety and the vulnerability of pedestrians as well as those people who ride these devices,' Mr Whitby said. 'And I think there's a growing community concern also.' Other measures to be considered by the committee are night-time curfews and the use of e-bikes and e-scooters in entertainment districts. Asked by reporters on Saturday morning, Mr Whitby said a ban of the vehicles on footpaths would 'absolutely' be considered. Mr Whitby said it was important that the state had a bipartisan approach to the reforms, acknowledging that he wanted the community to work together. The committee will deliver its report in September and Mr Whitby said in the meantime the police would need to maintain 'vigilance' in their enforcement. E-bikes have come under fire nationally in recent months as fatalities continue to mount.
ABC News
14-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
WA launches parliamentary inquiry into e-scooters following death of Thanh Phan in Perth's CBD
The WA government will establish a new parliamentary inquiry into the safety of e-rideables, sparked by the death of a Perth father in an e-scooter crash last month. A parliamentary committee will be tasked with finding ways to make e-bikes and e-scooters safer and consider tougher penalties for illegal behaviour. The inquiry will analyse data around injuries, accidents and trends of use to develop appropriate restrictions, such as curfews and footpath bans in areas of high pedestrian use. Road Safety and Police Minister Reece Whitby said the inquiry would also explore how technology could be used to make e-rideables safer. "[The inquiry] will look at how they can be geo-fenced to not operate in certain congested areas, how they might be limited to speed or limited to areas where they can be used," Mr Whitby said. Data comparing privately owned e-rideable devices with hireable devices will also be analysed to inform updated regulations. The state government also wants the committee to look at how the federal government can intervene and limit non-compliant devices being imported into Australia. Mr Whitby said he would like an investigation into "the Commonwealth's responsibility and role in allowing the importation of e-rideables that quite frankly travel too fast and are too powerful and should be treated as vehicles and not e-rideables". "We've had four fatalities involving e-rideables since the start of the year and of course every death is tragic," he said. Mr Whitby said the family of Perth man Thanh Phan were calling for a review after he was struck by an e-scooter and killed last month. "Mr Phan was the first pedestrian to die as a result of an incident involving e-rideables," Mr Whitby said. "His family are grief-stricken obviously, but have requested a review of the way e-rideables are used and the safety issues around them." The City of Perth announced it would suspend the hiring of e-scooters following Mr Phan's death. Mr Whitby will move a motion to establish the inquiry in parliament next week and said a report on the findings would be presented by the end of September. In the meantime, WA Police has been asked to continue its enforcement blitz of e-rideable safety in the community and in particularly dense pedestrian areas. More than 20 fines were issued by police last week after interactions with 72 e-rideable users, with four e-rideables impounded. The Road Safety Commission has also been asked to educate the public on the safe and legal use of e-rideables in the community.
ABC News
22-05-2025
- ABC News
Review into WA's e-scooter laws finds 'concerning' lack of compliance from riders
A review of WA's e-scooter laws have found a "concerning" lack of compliance with speed limits and a lack of enforcement, leaving pedestrians feeling unsafe. In 2021, the state government introduced laws to crack down on unsafe use of 'e-rideables' – encompassing everything from electronic scooters, unicycles, skateboards, roller skates and hoverboards. It does not include e-bicycles or devices like a Segway. Since then, the uptake of e-scooters and other e-rideables has skyrocketed, with the Road Safety Commission review describing them as a "mainstream" form of transport. Between 2017 and 2022, 74 people were admitted to Royal Perth Hospital with serious injuries resulting from a e-rideable incident. A review of the laws found while they are generally well-supported, some issues are causing problems — especially for pedestrians. While crash rates between e-riders and pedestrians were deemed "not significant", the report said many people felt unsafe after experiencing near-misses. The report described a concerning lack of compliance with the rules, like speeding and not giving way to pedestrians. There had also been examples of illegal or modified devices being used in public — such as larger, heavier and faster devices — and being sold in retail outlets. The report recommended more action was needed to decrease conflict between pedestrians and e-riders, especially on busy pathways. It also called for better enforcement of the rules, increased penalties, and more user education and programs for school children. The report recommended e-rideables should be allowed to be ridden on all roads with a speed limit of 50 kph or less, in order to spread the traffic. As part of the review, the Road Safety Commission conducted a survey of more than 1,000 people which found almost without exception, people found the enforcement of the laws was insufficient. Speeding along popular routes was the biggest concern, and other issues related to poor infrastructure that could contribute to crashes. It said given the small wheel size and lack of suspension, many e-rideables are heavily affected by things like cracks in pavement, tree roots and rough paving. The report said there was a general perception from people who don't ride e-rideables that they are dangerous. Nevertheless, it suggested their popularity would continue to increase as technology advances. The commission said it would now explore solutions to the issues raised in the review. Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby has been contacted for comment. Editor's note: An earlier version of this story referred to e-bikes. This review does not consider e-bicycles as an 'e-rideable'. It is focused on devices such as e-scooters and e-skateboards.
ABC News
20-05-2025
- ABC News
Review into WA's e-bike, e-scooter laws finds 'concerning' lack of compliance from riders
A review of WA's e-bike and e-scooter laws have found a "concerning" lack of compliance with speed limits and a lack of enforcement, leaving pedestrians feeling unsafe. In 2021, the state government introduced laws to crack down on unsafe use of 'e-rideables' – encompassing everything from electronic scooters, unicycles, skateboards, roller skates and hoverboards. Since then, the uptake of e-scooters and other e-rideables has skyrocketed, with the Road Safety Commission review describing them as a "mainstream" form of transport. Between 2017 and 2022, 74 people were admitted to Royal Perth Hospital with serious injuries resulting from a e-rideable incident. A review of the laws found while they are generally well-supported, some issues are causing problems — especially for pedestrians. While crash rates between e-riders and pedestrians were deemed "not significant", the report said many people felt unsafe after experiencing near-misses. The report described a concerning lack of compliance with the rules, like speeding and not giving way to pedestrians. There had also been examples of illegal or modified devices being used in public — such as larger, heavier and faster devices — and being sold in retail outlets. The report recommended more action was needed to decrease conflict between pedestrians and e-riders, especially on busy pathways. It also called for better enforcement of the rules, increased penalties, and more user education and programs for school children. The report recommended e-rideables should be allowed to be ridden on all roads with a speed limit of 50 kph or less, in order to spread the traffic. As part of the review, the Road Safety Commission conducted a survey of more than 1,000 people which found almost without exception, people found the enforcement of the laws was insufficient. Speeding along popular routes was the biggest concern, and other issues related to poor infrastructure that could contribute to crashes. It said given the small wheel size and lack of suspension, many e-rideables are heavily affected by things like cracks in pavement, tree roots and rough paving. The report said there was a general perception from people who don't ride e-rideables that they are dangerous. Neverhteless, it suggested their popularity would continue to increase as technology advances. The commission said it would now explore solutions to the issues raised in the review. Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby has been contacted for comment.
