2019-04-15 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                      15 APRIL 2019


Option 3:       Not issue a permit to Neon Ride or any other provider now or into the future

This option involves Council not offering a permit to Neon Ride or any other shared mobility
device operation on community land including shared bicycles etc.

Opportunities
a)      Eliminates the risk of commercial operations of this type operating on community land. For
        example:
        i)     Decreases Council’s exposure to insurance claims.
        ii)    There will be no illegal dumping of electric scooters in the environment because the
               scooters are either provided as part of a back to base model or privately owned.
b)      Still enables private businesses such as resorts to provide electric scooters as part of a
        back to base model (which currently occurs with hire bicycles) subject to planning
        requirements.
c)      Does not restrict private uptake of electric scooters.
d)      Allows Council to focus available Local Laws and senior officer resources on core business
        rather than receiving, investigating and address community concerns regarding safety and
        amenity of shared mobility devices.

Risks
1.      Accusations of Council not giving due consideration or following a measured approach to
        the merits of the activity, e.g. claims the activity is largely safe and Council decisions
        should not be influenced by a handful of miscreant scooter riders or incidents.
2.      Does not reduce risks of incidents on community land relating to private use of shared
        mobility devices.


8.      Conclusion

Electric Scooters are part of the rapidly emerging shared mobility device or ‘rideables’ transport
segment. The introduction of electric scooters into Noosa Shire and in other local government
areas in Australia and overseas has largely seen commercial operators deploying scooters
ahead of regulatory controls. The lack of consultation with all levels of government and the
community combined with the rapid introduction of shared mobile devices has been problematic
and consequential.

The business models proposed by electric scooter operators continue to evolve but remain
unproven and are potentially unviable. The Noosa target market, in terms of volume and
characteristics is not reflective of inner city Brisbane which has larger working populations,
concentrated working locations and well established transport modes (buses, trains, citycats etc.)
delivering people into the city. While the ‘last mile’ catchphrase used by scooter companies (to
explain scooter use from the transport drop off point to the final destination) is relevant in an inner
city environment, the user group most likely to use scooters in Noosa is tourists. The Gympie
Terrace foreshore through to the Noosa Main Beach precinct are primary tourism locations that
may attract scooter use, predominately in peak periods when pedestrian densities are high.
Introducing scooter use (via a permit) into these busy tourist areas requires careful consideration
prior to sanctioning the use.

Electric Scooter use will not suit all demographic groups but it is expected there will be private
uptake. Commercial uptake may also occur at resorts and other commercial businesses on
private land offering back to base services as part of their product offering for tourists and guests.




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