There’s a high chance of e-scooter riders landing face-first in accidents as I did. We need ways to make them safer

‘The accident has made me realise how vulnerable scooter riders actually are without proper infrastructure to accommodate them.’ Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

When e-scooters were first introduced in Melbourne in February 2022, I eagerly took on the challenge of road testing them around St Kilda. As I wrote at the time, I found them “liberating” in their potential to get cars off the road and increase riders’ mobility options around inner Melbourne.

“It feels like the start of a tiny-wheeled transport revolution,” I wrote.