Council struggling with e-scooter safety, demand

From Checkpoint, 5:13 pm on 23 September 2019

Auckland Council says like many other cities it's grappling with the balance between safety and demand for e-scooters. Council and Auckland Transport licence electric scooter companies in the city, but rules around speed, wearing helmets and where you can and cannot ride them are set by NZTA.

ACC figures show there's been 2,556 e-scooter related claims made between October 2018 and June 2019 - costing $2.7 million.

The vast majority of those stem from Auckland - 1,162 - with Christchurch being the second highest at 708. Included in the claims are 56 concussions, 59 dental injuries, 412 fractures or dislocations.

There are six week left to run on the second phase of Auckland Council's electric scooter trial - that trial included beefed up reporting requirements after Lime scooters were earlier taken off the streets due a braking fault.

Auckland Council's director of regulatory services, Craig Hobbs, joins Lisa Owen in the studio.