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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-02-04 Daily Xml
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Personal Mobility Devices

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (14:42): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Treasurer, representing the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, about personal mobility devices.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL: Every day that I come into the city, I can be sure to see a range of electric personal mobility devices (PMDs). These include electric scooters and electric skateboards. Most are being ridden on footpaths and shared-use paths, such as the Mike Turtur Bikeway, which is the route that I cycle into parliament most days.

On 12 May last year, I asked a question about any government plans to regulate the use of privately owned e-scooters. These are different from the commercial e-scooters that are available for hire for short trips under trials currently underway in Adelaide and along the coastal path. By way of an answer, on 30 June last year, the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure advised that the National Transport Commission was conducting a review into the use of personal mobility devices, generally, and that this would inform the government's plans for PMDs. I understand that draft legislation is intended to be delivered to transport ministers by the National Transport Commission by May this year to legalise the use of PMDs on public infrastructure.

In the nine months since I last asked about this, the rise in popularity of privately owned scooters has continued unabated. For example, Scooter Hut on Marion Road has a range of almost 30 models of e-scooters that can be bought, not to mention the hoverboards and other personal devices. I also note that in other jurisdictions private electric scooter usage has been successfully regulated. These include New Zealand, Canada, Germany, France, South Korea and Austria. In South Australia they remain illegal, with the government website pointing out all the fines that riders will be subjected to if they use a private rather than a commercial electric scooter. My questions of the minister are:

1. Will the proposed legislative reforms in South Australia include the legalisation of privately owned PMDs, such as e-scooters, or will it be limited to commercial devices?

2. If not, how does the government propose to manage the hundreds if not thousands of these privately owned devices already in use in South Australia?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:44): I will take the member's question on notice and bring back a reply.

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