Personal Mobility Device Safety Action Plan

The Personal Mobility Device Safety Action Plan contains actions which aim to improve the safety of personal mobility devices for all path and road users in Queensland. The plan aims to balance community safety with the emerging role of personal mobility devices in the broader mobility ecosystem.

Short-term actions 1 to 3 months

1. Establish a combined government and industry Personal Mobility Device Safety Reference Group.
2. Advocate for improvements to the safety of shared e-scooter use. For example:
   • improved helmet compliance through targeted education
   • increased use of geofencing to support no or slow riding in high-volume pedestrian areas and safe night precincts
   • increased use of lockouts at high-risk times and locations to reduce the risk associated with drink and drug riding
   • work with shared e-scooter providers to provide better education and training available to users as part of signing up for an account and commencing a trip.
3. Establish better data sharing amongst organisations. For example, between shared e-scooter providers and research organisations (such as the Jamieson Trauma Institute) to understand trends in injuries based on usage and the impacts of regulatory amendments.
4. Advocate for Commonwealth Government to review importation requirements for personal mobility devices to limit non-compliant devices being imported into Australia.
5. Establish an e-scooter parking working group to create clear rules for e-scooter parking to keep footpaths clear for pedestrians and people with disabilities.

Medium-term actions 3 to 6 months

6. Introduce a package of personal mobility device road rule amendments to:
   • set a reduced speed limit of 12km/h for use on footpaths
   • support efficient enforcement of devices that can travel faster than 25km/h
   • mandate warning devices
   • allow users to wear an approved bicycle or motorcycle helmet
   • increase penalties for dangerous behaviours.
7. Investigate greater scope to allow personal mobility devices to be used in on-road bike lanes.
8. Partner with the e-scooter parking working group to investigate solutions for improved parking.
9. Improve personal mobility device signage and road markings to ensure they are user friendly.
10. Develop a safety campaign to educate users on the road rules, safe parking and their responsibilities.
11. Partner with Queensland Police Service to schedule high-profile enforcement blitzes.
12. Develop materials for police officers to support awareness and enforcement of the rules.
13. Advocate for all levels of government to accelerate the roll out of physically separated bike path infrastructure.
14. Develop educational resources to increase awareness of personal mobility device rules and support safer riding behaviours.
15. Partner with industry to provide educational resources for new users at point of sale.

Long-term actions 6 to 12 months

16. Investigate options to crack down on drink and drug riding. For example:
    • random breath and saliva testing
    • blood alcohol concentration limits
    • appropriate penalties.
17. Partner with a research organisation to investigate best practice personal mobility device specifications. For example:
    • the effectiveness of noise generators
    • safety implications of increasing the maximum dimensions
    • ways of improving the visibility of devices and users.
18. Advocate for the National Transport Commission to adopt the Queensland regulatory changes into the Australian Road Rules model law to support national consistency.

Alternative version

• Accessible PDF.