Lime e-scooters might be coming to Tauranga

Tauranga City Council will negotiate an e-scooter trial with Lime NZ.

Staff were given the green light today at the Urban Form and Transport Development Committee to negotiate a six-month Tauranga trial.

Nic Johanson, General Manager: Infrastructure, said, 'E-scooters give people another travel option so we want to support this while also being proactive about managing risks. The conditions we're presenting to Lime aim to put some controls around things like operating speeds, parked scooters blocking the footpath, and late night use in the downtown areas.”

Nic said that council staff have tested the proposed conditions with the Disability Advisory Group and Tauranga and Mount main streets. 'They were pragmatic about the concerns and appreciate the balance we're aiming for.”

Nic said that Tauranga City Council has benefitted by waiting, watching and learning from how e-scooter trials have gone in other centres. 'We're able to enter this with a lot more confidence than even a year ago. It won't be perfect but that's the purpose of the trial. We'll need to work with the community and with Lime NZ to adjust things so that we get the best outcome.”

The council has had early interest from other e-scooter providers but Lime is the only company to have made a formal proposition.

'They're very open to working with us to get the best result so it's a positive start,” said Nic.

Staff are proposing an initial six-month trial that may be extended to 12 months, with the possibility of adding a second provider in the second six-month period.

Once negotiations are complete the proposal will come back to the full council for final approval in April.

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1 comment

Oh dear

Posted on 21-03-2020 11:23 | By peanuts9

I was hoping our bureaucrats had more sense than to allow these machines into our city. As the footpaths are often broken, uneven, full of tree roots, they are not suitable for scooters. With the number of elderly with mobility scooters, cyclists, and skateboarders already on the footpaths, where are the pedestrians supposed to go? Add to that, the shocking driving of Tauranga residents, who are unlikely to be any better on an e-scooter and the hospital will be overwhelmed.


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