❓ Mrs O'Malley asks about the government's plan to manage e-rideables for rider and pedestrian safety. The Minister outlines concerns about illegal activities, modifications, and the need for balanced regulation, referring the issue to the Community Development and Justice Standing Committee.
AnsweredQoN 222Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
E-rideables—Community safety
222. Mrs Lisa O'Malley to
the Minister for Road Safety:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to keeping Western Australia's growing
communities safe on our roads and pathways. Can the minister advise the house
what action the government is taking to maintain rider and pedestrian safety
through the responsible management of e-rideables?
222. Mrs Lisa O'Malley to
the Minister for Road Safety:
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to keeping Western Australia's growing
communities safe on our roads and pathways. Can the minister advise the house
what action the government is taking to maintain rider and pedestrian safety
through the responsible management of e-rideables?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member.
I appreciate the question. I saw the member for Roe patting down his hair and I
thought he was getting ready to ask me a question!
We know that e-scooters
are a convenient and fun way to get around when they are used properly, and
they can support a very healthy lifestyle, so we want to encourage that aspect.
But we do know that some people have engaged in illegal activities, some people
are reckless, some people are drunk, some people do not wear helmets and some
people speed, and it is those occasions that can end up in very tragic
situations. We have seen those tragedies play out very recently, unfortunately.
It is not just bad behaviour; it is also illegal modifications of devices that
allow them to travel at enormous speed. An e-scooter that can travel 80 or 100
kilometres an hour—which I am told is possible, either through being
imported illegally with that capacity or being illegally modified—is
insane and is dangerous. There is no place for a device that can travel at that
speed anywhere in a public place—or, in fact, anywhere. I would say
that it is completely unsafe to do so.
For those reasons,
this morning in this place I moved a motion for the Community Development and
Justice Standing Committee to make recommendations after an inquiry into this
very issue. I am very glad that that was approved by the chamber and that the
member for Roe and his fellow committee members will address this very
important issue. We need to strike the right balance between their safe and
sensible use, and community safety. I am particularly concerned about the safety
of vulnerable pedestrians. We have seen very tragic situations where that has
played out, particularly in built-up areas where people on footpaths are not
ready for and not wary of high-speed devices like that.
The committee will
look at a number of issues, including penalties, regulations, e-rideables in
pedestrian areas and the importation and illegal modification of these devices.
We look forward to what the committee can recommend. As I have said before, I
believe there is a place for these devices if they are used sensibly and safely.
There is no place for the extreme speed and dangerous activities we have seen
recently that have caused so much concern.
The Speaker: The member for Carine with the final
question.
I appreciate the question. I saw the member for Roe patting down his hair and I
thought he was getting ready to ask me a question!
We know that e-scooters
are a convenient and fun way to get around when they are used properly, and
they can support a very healthy lifestyle, so we want to encourage that aspect.
But we do know that some people have engaged in illegal activities, some people
are reckless, some people are drunk, some people do not wear helmets and some
people speed, and it is those occasions that can end up in very tragic
situations. We have seen those tragedies play out very recently, unfortunately.
It is not just bad behaviour; it is also illegal modifications of devices that
allow them to travel at enormous speed. An e-scooter that can travel 80 or 100
kilometres an hour—which I am told is possible, either through being
imported illegally with that capacity or being illegally modified—is
insane and is dangerous. There is no place for a device that can travel at that
speed anywhere in a public place—or, in fact, anywhere. I would say
that it is completely unsafe to do so.
For those reasons,
this morning in this place I moved a motion for the Community Development and
Justice Standing Committee to make recommendations after an inquiry into this
very issue. I am very glad that that was approved by the chamber and that the
member for Roe and his fellow committee members will address this very
important issue. We need to strike the right balance between their safe and
sensible use, and community safety. I am particularly concerned about the safety
of vulnerable pedestrians. We have seen very tragic situations where that has
played out, particularly in built-up areas where people on footpaths are not
ready for and not wary of high-speed devices like that.
The committee will
look at a number of issues, including penalties, regulations, e-rideables in
pedestrian areas and the importation and illegal modification of these devices.
We look forward to what the committee can recommend. As I have said before, I
believe there is a place for these devices if they are used sensibly and safely.
There is no place for the extreme speed and dangerous activities we have seen
recently that have caused so much concern.
The Speaker: The member for Carine with the final
question.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.