ACT E-scooter scheme expanded to Gungahlin and Woden

Neuron and Beam users will soon be able to travel from Gungahlin to Woden, with connections to new suburbs beginning from as early as next month.

The Parliamentary Triangle has also been included in the latest announcement, as have areas of the inner north and south previously left out.

Kaleen, Lyneham, North Watson, Weston Park, Mitchell, Weston, and Black Mountain Peninsula have all been included in the latest expansion of the operating area.

Since winning the rights for a permit to operate in the ACT in 2020, more than 1800 scooters have been introduced to Canberra roads.

While reports of vandalism and increased hospitalisations have followed, the scheme has generally been heralded a success.

Geofencing technology controls where e-scooters are ridden and parked, and how fast they can travel in certain areas. A no parking zone has been introduced around Lake Burley Griffin, a policy which has since been rolled out in other cities.

Josua Stuckelberger, a postdoctoral researcher at the Australian National University, said shared-scooter schemes are excellent, provided they complement public transport infrastructure.

Having moved from Switzerland four years ago, Dr Stuckelberger said Canberra still had some way to go when it came to encouraging energy-efficient road use.

The O'Connor resident said a separate lane for bikes and scooters would encourage more people like him to ride or scoot.

"They're very useful, but Canberra is still built for cars," Dr Stuckelberger said.

"I really see them as an addition to public transport, you want to take the bus so you scoot for the last 300 metres."

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Both Neuron and Beam will host come-and-try days in the new areas from September 9, allowing potential users to get familiar with scooter transport.

Richard Hannah, head of Neuron Australia and New Zealand, said safety remained a top priority.

"The expanded riding area will encourage more people to ditch their cars and choose a sustainable form of transport as part of their daily commute," Mr Hannah said.

"We encourage new and existing riders to visit our ScootSafe pop-up events from September 9 and try our digital education platform, ScootSafe Academy to learn how to use our e-scooters in a safe and responsible way."

In addition to Woden and Gungahlin, the expansion also includes:

Minister for Transport Chris Steel said more than 2.1 million trips had been taken on e-scooters since they were first trialled here in 2020.

He said the expansion was in response to feedback from Canberrans in areas not previously connected.

"This expansion will provide more people with new transport options whether it is for short trips in their neighbourhood, connecting with public transport or commuting to work," Mr Steel said.

"It will now be possible for Canberrans to ride an e-scooter from north to south with key safe routes determined with geo-fencing technology.

"The scheme has also been expanded to cover the parliamentary triangle, promoting access to our national institutions and attractions."

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