Ipswich City Council has met with Brisbane City Council to get up to speed on its electric scooter trial.
Council’s General Manager of Infrastructure and Environment Charlie Dill said while there are no plans currently for trials or schemes in Ipswich, council was still keen to check the latest transport trend out.
“In February 2019, council adopted the iGO Intelligent Transport Systems Strategy which shares some of council’s early thinking with regards to “rideables”, he said.
“As technology improves and reduces in price, rideables will become a form of personalised transport that will grow in Ipswich. Given their compact nature, they can provide an opportunity for first mile / last mile solutions for public transport journeys as well as being a part of a shared mobility scheme in activity centres and large employment zones.
“Council is open to the implementation of rideables in key strategic areas once the development of policies, frameworks, specifications and consultations have occurred.”
Mr Dill said since the release of the iGO Intelligent Transport Systems Strategy in February several companies have approached council in relation to the provision of rideable schemes in the Ipswich area, with each company offering different ways in which a rideable scheme could be provided.
“Ipswich City Council has met with Brisbane City Council to discuss learnings from their trial and to further understand the different elements of which scheme/s are provided in the Queensland capital,” he said.
“Brisbane is a leader in this area and council is thankful for the support and information that Brisbane City Council officers have afforded to Ipswich.
“Ipswich City Council is yet to develop a position of its own but does note that it would support and encourage the use of helmets for any rideable used in Ipswich in accordance with Queensland legislation, regardless of whether rideable is provided personally or privately.”
Two separate companies operate about 1000 e-scooters in the Brisbane City Council region. The scooters can travel up to 25km/hr. This form of transport has proved extremely popular, although there have been many reports of injuries and one death.
