Transport minister Catherine King reaches out to State counterparts over e-scooter regulation

The Federal Government is talking to its State counterparts about regulation of e-scooters after a spate of incidents involving riders, including the death of a pedestrian after a serious crash in Perth.

Transport Minister Catherine King sees making cities safer for pedestrians and other road users as a priority for the national road safety strategy.

She’s facing calls from the Opposition to convene a road accidents summit with all stakeholders and users to look at how best to make sure the rules are the same across the country.

Thanh Phan, 51, died in hospital following a serious crash in Perth’s CBD earlier this month, prompting inner-city councils to suspend e-scooter programs and police to launch a crackdown.

Research published about the same time found almost 180 young people aged under 16 on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast required hospital treatment over two years after being seriously injured while riding e-scooters.

Transport expert Geoff Rose said the Federal Government should step in to coordinate measures across all jurisdictions to make sure scooters were used safely.

A spokeswoman for Ms King said the Commonwealth worked with State and Territory governments to reduce road trauma, although regulation of e-scooters was ultimately a matter for the lower jurisdictions.

“One of the Australian Government’s responsibilities under the strategy’s action plan is to invest in infrastructure and non-infrastructure programs to reduce risks to vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians, and we continue to do this through programs like our Active Transport Fund,” she said.

“We consider a wide range of things in relation to road safety and will continue to work with state and local governments to make our cities safer for pedestrians and road users.”

The minister’s thoughts were with Mr Phan’s family and loved ones after the tragic incident.

Shadow transport minister Bridget McKenzie said the idea of harmonising regulations across the country should be examined.

“I think it’s worthy, because it isn’t just happening in WA it’s happening wherever these e-scooters abound,” she told The West.

“A road deaths, road accident summit with all representatives, users and all modes of transport would be a positive step and something that the Federal Government could take a leadership role (in), even though the regulatory environment for many of these things is at a local and state level.”

Senior Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said she regularly heard from community members worried about the safety of e-scooters and how they were regulated, as did other politicians.

“I am always of the view that if we can have Federal cooperation and consistency with regulation that’s in the best interest of the community, then we should do that,” she said.