When it comes to new (transport) technology, it pays to do things the right way around: put in place the safety measures (including appropriate laws and infrastructure) *before* letting the technology loose on the general public.

Riding electric personal transportation devices can be fun. They may increase people on the streets, making them more ‘living streets’. They may encourage people out of cars for short trips, though care is needed to ensure that they do not displace walking and, to a lesser extent, cycling.

However, there need to be substantial, carefully thought-through changes to our infrastructure, laws and behaviour to allow the ACT to accommodate these devices safely.

In our submission for Regulating the Use of Electric Personal Transportation Devices (Electric Scooters and Similar Devices) in the ACT, we express our concerns about safety of people on our streets and in our public places, whether they are riding electric personal transportation devices or not. Of particular concern is the danger associated with:

• devices and the people riding them becoming obstacles to people walking, and 
• mixing people and vehicles of different speed, manoeuvrability and noise. 

There are big questions about liability and other costs to the ACT Government, users of the devices, and others into whom they crash. 

We note that most paths in the ACT are not wide enough for two people to walk side by side, let alone also accommodate people on electric devices. Furthermore, the current state of most ACT pavement, be it on paths or the side of roads, is not conducive to vulnerable road users travelling at speed using small wheels. On the other hand, streets and/or paths could be dramatically improved as a way of preparing for safe use of these devices while prioritising active travel. While they are micro-mobility like walking, electronic personal transportation devices are (a) not active travel modes, (b) travel at speeds much greater than walking and more akin to bicycles, and (c) are less manoeuvrable than walking, again, more like bicycles. 

It is therefore appropriate that modes of transport either be separated based on their speed and manoeuvrability or that most of our roads have their speed limit reduced, by law and design, to a maximum of 30km/h so that all modes can share single transport spaces safely. Behavioural and attitudinal campaigns for people using each mode of transport should run be ahead of allowing electronic personal transport devices to be used in public spaces.We point out that walking is a basic human right and various Commonwealth and ACT Discrimination Acts make it against the law for public places, services and facilities to be inaccessible to people with a disability or on the basis of age. 

Such places include public footpaths and walkways and public transport (and public transport is generally accessed by path or walkway. Care needs to be taken to ensure that paths and other public places do not become inaccessible because they are frequented by people using electronic personal transport devices.

We also point out that every journey involves some walking yet walking is the weakest link in Canberra’s transport system, and so walking must be given top priority and prominence, in accordance with the well-accepted transport mode hierarchy. Electronic personal safety devices belong in a lower category than walking.

Read more here.