It’s been six chaotic months since Lime Scooters descended on Brisbane’s footpaths. Paramedics have treated 80 riders, yet Lime says their scooters are safe.

James Stephens reports.

TRANSCRIPT

Calls are louder than ever to cull electric scooters.

There have been concerns about rider safety for some time, then a 50 year old man died after he fell while using a Lime scooter.

The accident prompted calls for the e-scooters to be axed.

Mitchell Price, Lime Scooters: “But today is also about safety and safety is always number one at Lime and it’s number one for everyone in the community. And we’ll be rolling out a new major safety campaign.”

Lime will designate ‘speed zones’ throughout the city.

The scooters will be programmed to slow down, if riders exceed the limit.

Mitchell Price, Lime Scooters: “We’ll continue to learn from mistakes of the past.”

Bicycle Queensland says e-scooters are actually decongesting Brisbane and getting people out and active.

Anne Savage, CEO of Bicycle Qld: “We’d like to actually bring our cities back to life, to pedestrianise them again, to get people riding, scooting, walking and enjoying our great outdoor environment.”

While the RACQ says a sensible approach by everyone means we can all enjoy the advantages of e-scooters.

Paul Turner, RACQ: “We don’t think a ban is an answer, how about we just treat everyone with some respect, and look at the safety, and wear a helmet, and keep our speeds down, and that way we all benefit from using scooters like this into the future.”

The state government says it will await the findings of a police report into the death of the Brisbane man, before making a decision about the maximum speed of Lime Scooters.

James Stephens, QUT News.