First pedestrian death puts pressure on all councils to act on e-scooter laws

Local councils and the State Government are facing mounting pressure to act on hireable e-scooters, after the City of Perth ordered their removal from CBD streets following the Australian-first death of a pedestrian Thanh Phan this week. In a snap move on Thursday, City of Perth Acting Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds revealed Beam and Neuron scooters would be suspended from midday in the wake of the fatal crash, for which British backpacker Alicia Kemp has been charged. The decision exposed a patchwork response from councils and the devices, with some revealing they were considering following Perth’s lead and suspending operations. Royal Perth Hospital trauma service head surgeon Dr Dieter Weber told The West Australian that every council should carefully weigh the risks and benefits of e-scooters. “I interpret this as a recognition that there is significant harm, which we’ve been saying for a long time,” Dr Weber said. “Every council needs to take a look at the benefits alongside the risks and reach a conclusion (regarding) the evidence of the potential harm of these devices. “These are powerful vehicles that need safe use if they’re going to be accessed.” Dr Weber said the unit was treating patients daily from e-scooter crashes. “We’re seeing significant injuries in these patients, ranging from minor concussions but right through to severe internal organ injuries and severe brain injuries, spinal cord injuries that unfortunately have lasting impacts on not just the patients, but on their families,” he said. “Some of these patients are the riders, but unfortunately, others are also involved in this are innocent people that happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, that are cleaned up by a e-scooter rider.” Mr Phan died after he was allegedly struck by Ms Kemp, who police claim was riding on an e-scooter along a footpath in Perth on Saturday night. The accused backpacker — who was riding a Neuron scooter at the time — has had her charge upgraded from dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm under the influence of alcohol, to dangerous driving occasioning death under the influence of alcohol following the pedestrian’s death. She will next face court on July 15 after her bail was refused. Despite the City of Perth’s decision, most councils surveyed by The West Australian stuck by the provision of e-scooters on their streets — including Stirling, Rockingham and Busselton. But in Perth’s neighbouring council of Vincent, mayor Alison Xamon said public safety was paramount. “We are speaking with the City of Perth and currently investigating whether we need to do something similar,” she said. “We want people to feel safe — and be safe — on our roads and footpaths whether driving, cycling walking or using an e-rideable. We strongly encourage people to be safe when sharing our streets and footpaths — our streets are for everyone.” Footage from 7NEWS showed scooters taken from the streets of Perth on Thursday after the midday deadline were taken to the streets of Leederville — less than 3km away. An Esperance Shire spokeswoman said the council was “closely watching” the City of Perth’s process, while Rockingham mayor Deb Hamblin said they had “no intention” to suspend Beam rental e-scooters. “The hireable e-scooters have the restrictions programmed in, so they cannot operate at a higher speed in these areas,” she said. “The City is satisfied that these permit conditions are being met and there is no intention to suspend the trader’s permit.” A Stirling spokesperson said they wouldn’t consider removing the scooters following a “proportionally low number of incidents”. “Given the high usage of e-scooters in the City of Stirling and the proportionally low number of incidents, the City is not currently considering suspending e-scooter hire, however we will continue to monitor incidents and feedback to determine whether additional controls are needed,” the spokesperson said. Transport Minister Rita Saffioti stood by the rules and regulations for e-scooters on Thursday. “I’m happy to re-engage with the Minister for Road Safety about this,” she said. “We’ve already started engagement, and that has lead, of course, to the increased compliance that we’ll see over the next week. “We’re just seeing (non-compliance with a) certain set of rules provided to make sure we could roll this out safety.” Asked if other councils should follow suit, Ms Saffioti said it warranted a “considered response” and wanted to consult with Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby. Shadow road safety minister Julie Freeman said the rules around e-scooter-use needed to be updated. “E-scooters can play a valuable role in urban transport. They’re convenient, affordable, and provide an alternative to cars for short trips, but they must be properly managed and regulated to keep all road users safe,” Ms Freeman said. “Western Australia’s e-rideable laws are no longer fit for purpose.” Mr Phan’s family said he was a beloved husband, father of two, brother and dear friend, and news of his death on Monday night had been heart-breaking. They called for a review of laws and safety regulations around hired e-scooters “to help prevent further serious incidents that put lives at risk”. Dr Weber said the ongoing ripple effect from e-scooter injuries went on for years. “There’s a whole stack of other minor injuries that will be managed by the GPs or management peripheral emergency departments where they don’t have the significant injuries that we would treat that need referral to the State trauma service at Royal Perth Hospital,” he said. “This has an enormous ongoing consequence for the patients affected. This affects patients, obviously, in the immediate hospital stay, then into rehab and then into getting back into the community, getting back to the job, or getting back to their lives that they once enjoyed. “That’s got direct impact, not just on the patient, but all the people around them. Sadly, some of these patients end up in nursing homes, needing residential care, needing life-long support because of their injuries. “That could be spinal injuries, also significantly head injuries, patients with traumatic brain injuries.” Perth’s decision to remove e-scooters comes ahead of a compliance blitz by WA Police in Northbridge on Friday night, which will target speeding, mobile phone use, helmet compliance, riding under the influence of drugs and alcohol and passenger limits. A statement from WA Police said the action would be the first in a series of State-wide targeted enforcement operations. A Neuron spokesperson said they respected the City of Perth’s decision as the “investigation into this tragic incident continues”. “We understand this temporary pause will affect many people who rely on the service to get around the city, and we appreciate their patience,” they said. A Beam mobility spokesperson said they will “collaborate on any steps taken to enhance community safety” in the wake of the suspension.