Sunshine Coast Council is leading a push for the statewide limitation of speeds on e-scooters and other personal mobility devices.
The council voted at its meeting on Wednesday to progress a motion to the Local Government of Queensland’s annual conference in October to seek statewide support for the move.
Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the safety of personal mobility device users, as well as people on pathways, footpaths and roads, was paramount.
“Many private e-transport users are clearly operating their personal mobility devices at high – and dangerous – speeds,” Cr Natoli said.
“The enforcement of these private e-scooter users falls to Queensland Police and, according to RACQ in 2023, between January 1, 2019, and September 30, 2023, there had been 3305 hospital presentations in Queensland due to incidents involving e-transport devices.”
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The motion urges “that the LGAQ call on the state government to introduce mandatory device limitations and standards to control the speed and capabilities of personal mobility devices”.
If supported at LGAQ annual conference in Brisbane, it will carry the weight of the association’s 77 member councils and present a compelling case.
Currently personal mobility devices can be ridden on paths unless signed otherwise.
The speed limit on footpaths and shared paths is 12km/h, and 25km/h on separated paths and bicycle paths.
More information about Queensland road rules relevant to e-transport is available here, and information on penalties for infringements can be found here.
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