E-Scooters Legalised in Victoria and Share Trial Extended

Two people riding e-scooters through Melbourne city

Melbourne, Victoria Victoria is the latest state to legalise privately owned e-scooters, the Victorian government announced last week. Meanwhile the scooter share scheme trial is being extended by a further six months. The extension took effect from Wednesday and will enable e-scooter share schemes to operate throughout the State, subject to establishing an agreement with…

Inside Beam’s Queensland Headquarters

Team members in Beam E-scooter warehouse

Brisbane, Queensland Most Australian cities are at least somewhere along the progression of either trialling or fully implementing shared e-scooter and e-bike systems. But they’re all playing catch up to Brisbane, which is already five years down the path and has the largest share fleet. Brisbane started with e-scooter share schemes in 2018 and Beam…

Smiles and Celebrations as Two Hard-Won Projects Open

Sydney political members cutting opening ceremony ribbon

Sydney, NSW Two significant protected bike lane projects had their official opening ceremonies just one week apart in Sydney during March 2023. In both cases, it took more than a decade of struggle from cycling advocates to ensure these short but heavily used and strategically placed pieces of infrastructure were built. College Street Cycleway As…

Australians Asked for Opinions on EVs Mandate for Audible Alert Systems

Jaguar car

Canberra, ACT Audible alert systems for electric vehicles – to signal their approach to cyclists, pedestrians and other road users – are being considered in a community consultation program announced bv the Federal Government. The program is inviting public feedback on a potential mandate for “life-saving acoustic vehicle alerting systems” (AVAS) for electric cars (EVs)…

New Technology Shining Greater Light on Close Passing

Two people mounting velograph to bike

Adelaide, South Australia A new study using Adelaide-developed technology to provide definitive figures on the issue of motorists passing close to cyclists is preparing to go public with its initial results. Project Velograph, being conducted by the University of Adelaide, is hoping to have a map up and running on its website from next month,…

Councils Teaming Up to Share Micromobility Knowledge

Escooter shared service on Launceston street

Launceston, Tasmania A new micromobility information sharing network was launched last week for local government officials throughout Australia. The Australian Local Government Micromobility (ALGM) group, hosted on the Microsoft Teams platform, was inspired by the growing number of Australian councils involved in e-scooter and e-bike share services. However, it is likely to become a source…

Paris Votes to Ban E-Scooter Share Services

Paris, France A referendum of residents in Paris, once a pioneer of e-scooter share services, has voted overwhelmingly to ban them from the city. More than 89% of participating residents voted for the end of self-service scooters in Paris, which was an early adopter of scooter share services when it introduced them in 2018. Three…

Nominations Invited for Bike Sustainability Committee

Melbourne, Victoria Peak lobby group Bicycle Industries Australia (BIA) is calling nominations for its new sustainability committee. Nominations are invited from importer and retail industry members for the committee, which will provide advice to the BIA board in its efforts to help the bicycle sector achieve its sustainability goals. “Our initial focus is on the…

Darwin Proposes 40kmh Speed Limit and Cycleways for CBD

Aerial shot of Darwin CBD

Darwin, NT Darwin residents have been invited to give their opinions on a proposed introduction of bike lanes in the city centre, and plans to cut CBD speed limits. The City of Darwin wants to know the public’s view on the introduction of defined bicycle lanes in the CBD, Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said. “More…

Beam Doubles Fleet in Cairns

Teo people posing with Beam e-scooters

Cairns, Queensland Beam added another 200 e-scooters to its share service in Cairns last week, doubling its fleet in the Far North Queensland city, after activating 10 more parking hubs during the past three months. The company now partners with more than 30 businesses throughout Cairns, with e-scooters parked at partner business locations using fixed…