‘Wind in my hair, you know how it feels. Gripping the handles there’s no time to waste. Taking the corners, no room for mistake.’
E-scooters are legal. On October 4 legislation was implemented that made them legal for use on Victoria’s roads and shared pathways, conditional upon a few requirements: the rider must be at least 16 years old, a helmet must be worn, you cannot travel more than 20km/h, you cannot be using your mobile phone, and you cannot carry a passenger. And, most importantly, you can only ride on shared-use paths (not footpaths) or roads with a speed limit up to 60km/h.
One rider discovered the law the hard way on Saturday, October 26 when they were caught by Bass Coast Highway Patrol around 10am travelling at 45km/h along the Bass Highway in Glen Forbes.
The 38-year-old was not only travelling on a 100km/h road but it’s also alleged he returned a positive result to illicit drugs and was found to have a cancelled driver’s licence and was disqualified from driving at the time of the offence.
You see, a modified e-scooter that can exceed 25km/h is deemed a motor vehicle, and as such, general motorcycle rules apply.
While this offender will be summoned to Korumburra Magistrates Court for several offences, it is easy to follow the rules.
“The new rules are in place to keep everyone safe,” Bass Coast Highway Patrol Sergeant Pearce explained.
“When riding, an approved bicycle helmet must be worn. There were a number of people who were seriously injured and seven fatalities on e-scooters between the trial period, which ran from December 1, 2021 to August 31, 2024.”
2128 collisions were reported during the trial period in Victoria with most injuries sustained by individuals not wearing a helmet. Locally police are still investigating the circumstances of a male who later died from injuries sustained whilst on an e-scooter in San Remo earlier this year.
“E-scooters that exceed 25km/h, whilst not illegal, cannot legally be ridden in public, so keep these on private property.
“The initial phase is educating the public about the new rule, however, those found to be in serious breach will face the consequences,” Sgt Pearce stated.
“You don’t need a licence to ride an e-scooter in Victoria. However, your driver’s licence can be affected if you ride an e-scooter while affected by alcohol or drugs.”
Surprisingly, whilst you cannot be drinking whilst riding, you can be on an e-scooter as long as your blood alcohol is under 0.05 BAC, however, for non-compliant e-scooters this is automatically lowered to 0.00 BAC.
The fines are not pretty.
Failing to wear a helmet will set you back $395, whilst riding on a footpath is $296. Exceeding the speed limit of 20km/h is $346, whilst riding two abreast is $198. And don’t even consider holding a handheld mobile phone, this will come at a cost of $593.
In Victoria a legal e-scooter is defined as a device which: has a maximum speed of 25 km/h when ridden on level ground, transports a person while the person is standing or seated, has two wheels (one in front of the other), has a footboard between the front and rear wheels, is steered by a handlebar, and does not weigh more than 45kg.
Separate rules and regulations apply to e-bikes and mobility scooters.
“Individuals must follow road traffic rules when riding an e-scooter and they must have front and rear lights.”
Granted special powers, police can and will be utilising their speed detection technology to catch those doing the wrong thing.
“There are many shared pathway locations across Bass Coast and South Gippsland to use these devices, however, remember you are on shared paths, there may be horses, and young children can be unpredictable.
“E-scooters rely on calliper brakes; you will not stop suddenly if you are exceeding the speed limit; they are simply not built to stop quickly.
“We are becoming more flexible in our movements as new technology evolves, but we have to be conscious – if something unexpected happens can you live with the consequences.”
So, before you consider hotting up the wheels and installing an e-scooter ‘motorbike kit’, think twice, because you will be caught.
“Keep non-compliant e-scooters on private property, and ride safely.”