Electric Scooters – friend or foe?!

Electric scooters are everywhere these days. Everywhere you look (thanks to Lime Scooters), someone in Auckland or Christchurch is tearing up the footpath on an escooter. Do you get accidents? Naturally, yes. Are they a risk to pedestrians? Of course. Could they be better-managed? Duh!

What are the legalities here? Well, as of 18th September an e-scooter was defined as being up to 300W output, and to be ridden on the footpath (why???) or the edge of the road (can be risky). Not in the bike lane. Oh no, not in the $300M bike lane network that spans Auckland. That would be WAY to obvious! Make them ride on the road or cut up pedestrians, that’s the best idea. I’m not a fan of the plan, as you can see. For God’s sake, make people wear a helmet, ride them in the bike lanes, and if you must, add a speed limit (30km/h would be sensible, not 10km/h, that’s a fast walk!)

What’s an escooter like? Brilliant, is what it is. The rental ones (and there are many brands, all with common features) are OK. Built to a cheap price, sturdy-ish, underpowered, rubbish tyres that slip in the wet (often hard plastic, not air-filled) and mostly front-wheel drive (cheap system, not balanced). But they serve a purpose. And a decent scooter? A decent scooter is a joy to own. Super-convenient, very portable, almost free to run, requires no effort at all, and can cover quite large distances. With proper brakes, grippy tyres, and peppy motors, a decent escooter will soon become an indispensable part of your transportation solution. And if you like in a city apartment and don’t have a car even, it could be all you ever need.

At Electric Scooter Shop we stock the Inokim, Dualtron, Mercane, TNE and Speedway ranges, all top-class, high-end scooters that will give years of use, and have them all available to demo. Peruse https://electricscootershop.co.nz/shop/ on the website or just come and try one. You won’t look back.