I'VE just returned from Darwin; this city has a scooter problem. I just hope that the proposed introduction of these scooters to Lake Macquarie area ('500 electric bikes to be rolled out in Lake Macquarie trial', Newcastle Herald 24/5) doesn't follow the same inherent problems.
Scooters are left anywhere after the rental time elapses, including lying across walkways in gardens; some are vandalised; helmets are thrown to the wind, in trees and gutters, smashed; no designated riding areas in shopping areas, and pedestrians being hit. Scooters also stop when time elapses, even halfway across pedestrian crossings. By the way, scooter riders come off second best when it comes to riding on the roads. And they're not cheap; 60 cents per minute means 10 minutes is $6.
