You may have noticed the bright orange and white electronic scooters popping up around town this month, as Melburnians test out a new way to travel around the three municipalities.
The trial is part of a Victorian Government program to understand how e-scooters can be safely incorporated into the community for the long term.
Whether you want to scoot to work, ride from one location to another or just have fun, e-scooters provide an alternative, low-cost and sustainable way to travel through the region.
Lime and Neuron Mobility are delivering the trial as two of Australia’s leading micro-mobility operators known for their leadership and innovation in safety and sustainability.
From 1 February, 1,500 e-scooters have been rolled out across the three cities with users able to get scooting by simply using their smartphone.
E-scooters will travel up to a maximum speed of 20 km/h on bicycle lanes, shared paths and low speed roads, and will not be allowed on footpaths.
Along with applying new e-scooter vehicle standards, the Lime and Neuron trial will have a strong emphasis on safety – including in-built technology to promote responsible riding, and specialised training and safety messages for new users.
Riders must adhere to most of the same rules as bike riders, including wearing a helmet and slowing down to give way to pedestrians on shared paths.
Geofencing technology will also enforce certain ‘no go’ and ‘go slow’ zones where speed limits are restricted in high-traffic shared areas and show riders where e-scooters can be parked and located.
The same trial was also rolled out in the City of Ballarat in December.
