Just when you thought they were gone for a hot minute, e-scooters return to our coast this summer.
The e-scooter trial along the coast expired at the end of October 2023. The Minister for the Department of Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) has since granted an additional exemption to the legislation to extend the e-scooter trial for a further year until 31 October 2024.
As a result, we have issued a short-term (6 month) permit to the trial e-scooter operator Beam Mobility to allow them to continue through the 2023/24 peak summer season.
This short-term extension of the trial will enable us to continue discussions with DIT regarding the next steps for the trial and any other potential e-scooter routes across our City that may be feasible to include in the trial. During this time, the outcomes of the consultation on Personal Mobility Device use in South Australia will also be presented which will help to inform the future of e-scooters in our City.
A report will be presented to Council in March/April 2024 detailing the performance of the trial to date and also recommendations around the future of e-scooters in our City, based on direction provided at a state level.
The approved trial course consists of two sections:
Northern Section (Third Avenue and Bower Road, Semaphore Park)
Starting at Third Avenue and finishing at Bower Road, Semaphore Park.
Southern Section (Terminus Street, Grange to Adelaide Shores, West Beach)
Starting from Terminus Street (Grange) and finishing at Adelaide Shores (beach access gate) just before the City of Charles Sturt boundary as per the map below.
Users must download an app and create an account. As part of the account set-up you will receive information about responsible riding and public safety while operating and riding the scooters. Operators charge an unlocking fee of about $1, then a timed charge of between 30 and 40 cents per minute.
The e-scooters will be parked in clearly marked locations (with the pavement sticker below). These designated parking locations are also defined within the Beam smartphone app. You will be unable to end your ride and disengage with the app unless you park in these designated parking areas.
The e-scooters will be restricted for use only on the Coast Park shared use path with the course detouring to adjacent footpaths where Coast Park connections do not exist. E-scooters will not be able to be used on the road and will be ‘geofenced’ meaning that the scooters cannot be used outside the designated course. In locations not approved for the trial (i.e. between Grange and Semaphore Park or side streets linking to Seaview Road), the e-scooter will grind to a halt and an alarm will sound, directing the user to return to the approved course. A ‘no e-scooter’ area has been designated for Henley Square (east of the foreshore path) due to the high levels of pedestrian activity. ‘No E-scooter’ zones will be clearly marked with pavement decals.
If there are events along the Coast Park that are expected to attract large number of pedestrians, e-scooters will be restricted from entering the event area via the operators app. Users will be notified of the event and the access restrictions when they unlock the scooter.
When e-scooters first launched along the coast path there was this curfew in place. This has since been removed and a 24 hour operation introduced.
E-scooters will be limited to a maximum speed of 15 km/h, which will automatically drop to 8km/h in high pedestrianised areas such as Henley Square. These ‘Go Slow’ zones will be clearly marked with pavement decals.
Riders of e-scooters must:
- Be aged 18 years or over;
- Wear a helmet;
- Ride on footpaths and shared use paths only, unless otherwise prohibited;
- Only ride on a road when crossing or to avoid an obstruction and where required, for no more than 50 metres;
- Ride with proper care and reasonable consideration for all persons;
- Provide a warning via a bell, or horn to avert danger;
- Use lights when riding at night or in hazardous conditions (usually a built-in feature of E-scooters).
Riders of e-scooters must not:
- Exceed 15km/h;
- Ride abreast;
- Carry passengers;
- Use a mobile phone while riding;
- Have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 or more or the presence of an illicit drug in their system.
The South Australia Police can issue penalties for any breaches of the Australian Road Rules or offences that may apply. If you wish to report a rider disobeying the Road Rules, it is best to contact SA Police’s Traffic Watch Program on 131 444.
Only e-scooters operated by approved provider (Beam Mobility) are permitted in the 'trial area'. The e-scooters are geo-fenced and cannot be ridden or parked outside of the approved course.
It is a condition of the Permit issued to Beam Mobility Pty Ltd that they must address issues such as damage and dumping in a timely manner. Cases of damaged or dumped scooters should be reported to the operators. Operator Operations Lead for SA’s contact details are provided below:
Beam Mobility (Purple scooters)
Sarah Taylor and Glen Alldis
1300 507 676
The rider must give all possible assistance to anyone injured and report the incident to Police. The rider of the e-scooter should contact the operator. E-scooter operators are required to hold public liability insurance. If the collision involves a car and an electric scooter the CTP insurance associated with the vehicle may cover damages if the vehicle is at fault. For more information call the CTP Regulator on 1300 303 558 or visit www.ctp.sa.gov.au