NSW Ditches Plans To Legalise E-Scooters, Sales In Retailers Still Soar

The NSW government has abandoned plans to trial the legal use of electric scooters on the streets of Sydney, a move which could impact sales of the device in JB Hi-Fi and other retailers.

Electric scooters are still technically illegal on roads and streets in NSW, but retailers are still seeing high volumes of sales.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance said he was “not in the mood” to have e-scooters in Sydney – despite his department recommending conditions for a trial period.

The National Transport Commission spent 18 months considering the safety implications of personal e-scooters in NSW, and in August 2020 the organisation recommended the devices should be allowed on footpaths capped at 10km/h and on bicycle parks and residential streets at 25km/h.

“All modes of transport carry some degree of accident risk,” the reports states.

Constance however labelled e-scooter schemes – such as Lime which operates in Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra – as a “disaster”.

“People getting killed, e-scooters being left up trees, e-scooters littering parks and footpaths, people falling over them,” he told budget estimates last week.

“The point is that I am not entertaining this. Our focus has been, particularly during COVID, to get people to ride a bike or walk. I am not in the mood for running e-scooter trials at a time like this.”

Despite users only legally able to use e-scooters on private property in NSW, retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Myer are still selling them in-store.

Scooter Hut Newtown store manager Alan Kurkuri told the publication sales of e-scooters had doubled in the last six months.

JB Hi-Fi sells electric scooters from brands such as Xiaomi and Segway.

A $1499 Xiaomi Mi Electric Scooter Pro 2 Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Edition is even available for pre-order from the online store.