City of Rockingham to decide on future of Beam e-scooter partnership amid increasing injuries and offences

The City of Rockingham is weighing up whether to cancel its e-scooter trial as debate rages Statewide around the risks associated with the popular mode of transport. A fleet of 200 e-scooters from the micromobility firm Beam has been zooming around the city on a 12-month trial after the council issued a trading permit to the company in March last year. The e-scooters have proved to be popular among the local community, with data supplied by Beam showing the purple e-scooters racked up more than 225,000km in just one year — about the same distance as 15 laps around Australia. However, the company would not answer questions relating to its data on infringements, damaged or stolen scooters, or the number of banning notices handed out for risky behaviour during the same trial period. The tight-lipped response follows comments from one of WA’s leading trauma surgeons, who referred to the influx of e-scooter related injuries presenting to the emergency department at Royal Perth Hospital as a new epidemic. RPH head of trauma services Dieter Weber said the injuries being treated at the hospital were similar to those usually seen in high-energy car crashes. “We’re seeing injuries to the whole body, particularly head injuries, internal damage, internal bleeding and broken bones,” Dr Weber said. “These injuries absolutely have life-changing consequences with long-term suffering for the patient or for their families.” Last week, Premier Mark McGowan revealed in Parliament that WA Police had dealt more than 700 infringements and impounded 39 e-rideable devices in less than two months. That figure is almost three times the number of infringements (267) handed out in the whole of last year. Despite the worrying statistics, partnerships with e-scooter companies across WA are coming in droves, with one of the latest Beam trials announced in Broome just last month. It comes after the company launched an investigation into a serious e-scooter crash in Geraldton on March 24, which saw a 25-year-old man flown to Perth by Royal Flying Doctor Service for hospital treatment. The collision is just one of a spate of recent e-scooter incidents across WA. The City of Rockingham said pedestrian and motorist safety was a top priority when considering whether to extend Beam’s traders permit. “As opposed to privately owned e-scooters, the hireable e-scooters have strict speed limitations in certain areas, as well as an overall speed limitation throughout the city from dusk until dawn,” Mayor Deb Hamblin said. “Should the City continue to approve future traders permits for hireable e-scooters, these conditions will be reviewed to ensure there is sufficient control over the business operations to reduce the safety risk. “The City will be considering the hireable e-scooter data available from the last year, and will present a report to council to decide on the future direction of hireable e-scooters within the city.” A final decision is expected to be reached by the end of the financial year.