Authorities continue to support the use of e-scooters in Logan, despite regular reporting of accidents and injuries to local ambulance officers.
Daily reports from the Queensland Ambulance Service regularly report incidents which have occurred as a result of e-scooters.
While not all cases are not found in ambulance reports, the regularity of incidents in Logan is much less frequent than Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
There have been two publicly-reported scooter accidents since new year in Logan, but multiple reports in city and beach neighbourhoods.
A spokesperson for QAS confirmed that paramedics treat patients who have sustained e-scooter related injuries on a near-daily basis.
Paramedics are called to respond to injuries ranging from minor abrasions to critical injuries, and there have been deaths.
The spokesperson said riders who broke the law posed a threat not only to themselves, but to pedestrians.
Authorities including Waterford MP Shannon Fentiman are pointing to safety and awareness rather than exclusion.
Ms Fentiman said e-scooters played an important role, helping people travel around Logan.
“I am supportive of independent and low-cost transportation options, providing they are safe for riders and other members of the public,” she said.
The popularity of e-scooters continues to rise, as an environmentally friendly and low-cost mode of transport.
But they’ve proven dangerous when ridden at high speed.
In November last year, the Queensland Government introduced new rules to regulate e-scooters, including new speed limits of 12km/hour on footpaths and shared paths.
Riders must also wear helmets.
The government says e-scooters should be ridden with the same safety in mind as bicycles.
That means adhering to traffic signals, including red lights.
But the new rules do not address the root causes of unsafe rider behaviour, nor do they explain the concerning prevalence of e-scooter crashes seen on our roads.
Formal training programs to educate young and new e-scooter riders on essential road safety principles are not currently legislated — leaving the balance of educational responsibility on parents, guardians and carers.
A TMR spokesperson said although e-scooter licences had been considered in the past, “it has been determined the administrative and regulatory costs to both users and government outweigh any benefits to such a scheme.”
Teenagers over 16 can ride without adult supervision.
