Lime e-scooters' Auckland trial extended until the end of March

Tuesday, 1 January 2019

We asked Aucklanders what they thought about the likelihood of Auckland Council reducing Lime e-scooter speeds to 10kmh.

Lime e-scooters will be on Auckland pavements for at least another three months.

Auckland Council plans to extend the e-scooter sharing service's street trading licence, which was set to expire on January 14, until the end of March.

The extension would give the council and Auckland Transport (AT) more time to assess Lime's trial and decide whether Lime and other similar services would be able to operate in the super city long term - and whether any more safety restrictions would be rolled out.

The plan to extend Lime's licence was revealed in an internal email, which Stuff has obtained, sent by the mayor's principal transport advisor, Rory Palmer.

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* E-scooter regulations 'pretty vague': AA backs push for 10kmh speed limit**

Other e-scooter services, such as Onzo and Wave, had been expected to hit Auckland footpaths before the Lime trial ended, which would have enabled the council to compare the technologies and performance of the different providers.

However, 'for reasons of their own' Onzo and Wave hadn't been able to launch their trials yet.

'Because there other providers are unlikely be present in Auckland by the time Lime's trial ends, we are faced with a situation where there would be a dramatic reduction in the availability of electric scooters for hire, if Lime was to have to take its scooters of the street,' Palmer wrote in the email, dated December 21.

Council staff would meet next week to 'discuss and confirm the necessary approvals for [Lime's] extension'.

The decision to extend Lime's licence is likely to be controversial. Safety concerns about Lime e-scooters have divided politicians, medical professionals and members of the public since they hit the pavements of Auckland and Christchurch in October.

In mid-December, Lime launched in Upper and Lower Hutt.

Meanwhile, Christchurch City Council had extended its Lime scooter trial until February.

The council's transport operations manager, Steffan Thomas, said Lime was collecting data on crashes it was made aware of, which would be provided to the council before the end of the three-month trial period. The council was also seeking feedback from members of the public.

Last week across the Tasman, Gold Coast's council confiscated Lime scooters less than 24 hours after they hit the streets.

The council had not approved the launch and had warned it would seize the scooters if Lime rolled them out.

Auckland Council staff will review a report commissioned by mayor Phil Goff after councillor Christine Fletcher was involved in a near miss with a Lime scooter rider, and a survey conducted by AT, before deciding whether Lime scooters will be able to trade in after their licence expires in March.

If they grant Lime another licence after the trial extension it seems likely the council will enforce a 10kmh speed limit on e-scooters. Their top speed is currently 27kmh.

Goff proposed the speed limit reduction in November.

RESTRICTIONS AROUND THE WORLD

E-scooter regulations vary internationally.

Lime e-scooters hit Auckland pavements in October. The council is set to decide in mid-January whether they're here to stay.

In Singapore, e-scooter models must be approved by the Land Transport Authority and have a maximum speed of 25kmh. Anyone caught using a non-approved e-scooter can be fined up to $5000 or jailed for up to three months.

In South Australia, recreational motorised devices – including e-scooters – can only be used on private property.

The UK's driving authority doesn't allow for e-scooters to be ridden on roads or footpaths. Residents caught using them can be fined up to £75.

French regulations state e-scooters can be ridden in bike lanes at speeds of up to 25kmh.

E-scooters are permitted on footpaths, roads and in cycle lanes in California, but riders must be aged 16 or older.

Auckland Council was aware of at least two deaths overseas involving e-scooters. One person was hit by a car and another suffered fatal head injuries.

A Lime scooter rider in downtown Auckland.

ACC ISSUES WARNINGS

Between October 11 and November 14, ACC received 141 claims for injuries involving e-scooters. The majority of the incidents, 85, happened in Auckland, 50 took place in Christchurch and six elsewhere in the country.

That was up from 34 e-scooter claims in 2017 and 22 in 2016.

ACC did not have figures on the total cost of claims or projections on how speed restrictions would affect injury rates.

'Our focus is on encouraging people to use e-scooters sensibly. Wearing a helmet, limiting speed, keeping to road rules are standard mechanism for keeping safe but we acknowledge the challenge from a safety perspective with e-scooters is how people use them: mostly for short incidental trips rather than a planned scooter ride they'd have prepared for,' ACC senior injury prevention specialist Kirsten Malpas said.