e-Scooters - opinions?

[Franco Cozzo]

Seen a lot of these things being used privately in the greens-voting inner suburbs of Melbourne over the past few years, with it increasing even though they're 'illegal' in VIC:

Electric scooters are everywhere, but many are still illegal

Masters student Declan knows the way he gets to Melbourne University and work most days is illegal.

But fed up with what he calls Victoria’s “ridiculous” ban on privately owned electric scooters, he decided three years ago to do it anyway.

“It got to a point where I thought, this is so stupid, I’m just going to ride one,” said Declan – who asked that his last name not be published – en route to campus on Wednesday.

“You look at other states, or you look around the world where people are serious about action on climate change, e-scooters are the first thing – green transport is such a big deal.”

Declan says riding his scooter saves him 15 minutes getting to work compared with public transport, and he avoids at least three short car trips a week. Such benefits have driven a growing number of Melburnians to buy the electric devices from major retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman, undeterred by fines of between $182 and $909 if caught riding the scooters on public roads.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/v...14-p5atqc.html

Usually they tended to be women in a sun dress with a bicycle helmet pootling along the inner suburban roads while the rest of us sat in cars going nowhere

I think this is a good option for those who live in inner suburbia, gives you freedom from public transport for short trips, without needing to own a car if you live in the inner city suburbs as well. Its good from an environmental perspective too (if you ignore cheap chunk with lithium ion batteries ending up in landfill)

Some of them can do over 50km/h, which VIC Police seem to frown upon (supposed to be limit to 10km/h), but at the end of the day someone on a push bike could do that if they weren't a fat **** anyway so whats the difference?

The stupidity is that the only 'legal' ones are the rideshare services ones in inner suburban Melbourne, why legalise those and not privately owned ones? Absolutely ridiculous, Lime must have donated $5 to both majors election funds

Whats your thoughts? Good idea? Or get a car like everyone else ya cheap bastards.