Private scooters finally legalised in Victoria (Australia)

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glennb

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I only just discovered they were legalised in April this year, so posting this for anyone else who might’ve also been oblivious to what the lawmakers finally got around to.

Read up for yourself. I just skimmed the vic police website. There’s no power limits, size limits, wheel size limits, weight limits, or limits on the number of motors. Simply cannot take a passenger (or pet), or ride seated.

The only design criteria are two wheels (one in front of the other) with a plank between them, a handlebar for steering, and the ability to put a foot down on the ground to push/kick.

The standing requirement is the only one that I take serious exception to. Yes, I realise I’m posting in the stand-up scooter subforum, but I can’t fathom why anyone want to ride standing, or why they should be legally compelled to. I imagine there’s already uproar about this requirement from people with disabilities.

The limitation of two wheels is also nonsense. It’s not required to exclude skateboards - the handlebar requirement already achieves this - so I don’t understand it. All they needed to do was specify a maximum vehicle width, and let people use however many wheels they want.

Bicycle handlebars are permitted to be 700mm, trikes and quads are permitted (although pretty much all of them breach the 700mm permitted width), and stabiliser outrigger wheels are permitted, so why can’t scooters occupy the same amount of road using whatever wheel configuration their owners please?

Anyway, happy days. Just have to remove the beautiful seat I made (sob, sob, cry, cry), and get used to riding in a crouched snowboarding tuck.
 
glennb said:
Read up for yourself. I just skimmed the vic police website. There’s no power limits, size limits, wheel size limits, weight limits, or limits on the number of motors. Simply cannot take a passenger (or pet), or ride seated.
Click to expand...
Still pretty restricted in Vic
-Cannot travel at more than 20km/h nor be capable of exceeding 25km/h on level ground
-Not permitted to be petrol powered (time for a diesel two stroke? jokes)
-Devices with over 200w of power (no mention of continuous/peak) are not permitted on the footway
-Cannot be ridden on the road by a person under the age of 18 (meaning that a person under the age of 18 cannot use a scooter of more than 200w anywhere in public)
-Must have a white front light and red rear light if ridden at night
 
What would you prefer?

Lower age limit?

I think 13 y.o. would be more appropriate, so that all high school kids can use them to travel to/from school.

30km/h limit?

I don’t have a strong opinion. If there’s convincing safety data to back the 20km/h limit, fair enough.

ICE engines?

The only way that could happen is by barring scooters from shared use paths, because the joggers and dog walkers and pram pushers would never put up with the noise.


The main thing for me is opening the door to a vehicle without power restrictions. Combined with no weight or towing restrictions it means goodbye piece of junk 250W cargo bike, welcome 5000W scooter towing a trailer.

It’s highly inconvenient having to stand up to do this, and outright dangerous with when combining the high centre of gravity with short wheelbase and 10 inch wheels.

I tried this morning, every which way - squatting, crouching, side on, doing the splits. It’s not going to happen.

To ride standing i need minimum 20 inch front wheel and 1000mm wheelbase. Full suspension would be preferable. I don’t know if there is such a beast.
 
Put a hub motor on this Shuffle Adult Scooter you might be able to go 2 wheel drive, 26" front wheel, 20" rear wheel. I saw a scooter like this with a motor in one of the DIY EV groups.
Later floyd
 
Thanks Floyd.

Yeah, that’s definitely the new plan.

I was just looking at that Schwinn, and a few others.

I had to refine the search terms to find them - turns out that these vehicles are commonly referred to as “kickbikes” or “footbikes”.

There’s some with disc brakes. And one or two with front suspension. Nothing with rear suspension that I could find.

There’s only two significant vendors in Australia. I’ve emailed them both asking if they have any spare frames that they’ve been stripping for warrantee parts.

Fingers crossed.

The only other option is that Schwinn, for which the warrantees are handled centrally by the distributor, so that’s the next company to contact.

The Schwinn is USD$600 (equivalent) here. No way I’m paying that for a couple of bent pipes and hundred dollars worth of junk parts.
 
It’s time for lateral thinking.

A zero cost option would be to put 16” wheels in a rigid 700C bike frame.

That’d put the bottom bracket about the right height. Can tweak it with different fork lengths. All that’s required is ditching the seat post and installing narrow flat foot pegs through the bottom bracket shell.

Hey presto, we have a kickbike that technically conforms to the regulations.
 
I mocked up a frame with 16” rear and 20” front.

It’ll work.

I took a second look at the regulations before proceeding any further.

Closer reading reveals that it doesn’t actually have to be able to be propelled by foot, as stipulated by “one or both” of “electric motors” and “pushing against the ground”.

So, motor or not, every scooter is now an e-scooter according to these regulations, because they can be propelled by “pushing against the ground”.

The other finding is that the “footboard” needs to be a singular entity. So, instead of footrests projecting from the bottom bracket, I’d have to bolt a platform under the seat stays. That’s no problem.

All in all, easy regulations to satisfy.


www.police.vic.gov.au

Electric powered scooters (e-scooters)

The rules and offences for privately owned e-scooter and e scooter trial use, and how to safely ride your electric powered scooter on Victorian roads.
www.police.vic.gov.au www.police.vic.gov.au

A legal e-scooter is defined as a vehicle designed for use by one person and:
  • has a maximum speed capability of 25 kilometres per hour when ridden on level ground
  • transports a person while the person is standing
  • has 2 wheels (one in front of the other)
  • has a footboard between the front and rear wheels
  • is steered by means of a handlebar
  • can be propelled by one or both of the following
    • one or more electric motors
    • person pushing one foot against the ground.
 
glennb said:
What would you prefer?
Click to expand...
Ha, I despise the hire scooters here in Brisbane. I'd be glad to see them banned again. They're always clogging up the footpath. There's some nob around where I live doing 70km/h up the wrong way on a divided road, but that isn't a scooter specific thing, nobs gunna find a way to nob. But I am in absolutely no position to talk, with a highly illegal :rolleyes: 1500w bicycle.

You are absolutely correct that according to the legislation something like the below would be legal, with unlimited power! (limited to 20km/h).

image.jpg
 
Someone needs to import container loads to Melbourne and start motorising them ASAP.

I didn’t know Brisbane banned scooters for a while. It’s a good move, the companies need a kick in the arse to take responsibility for their mess.

Private owners will at least lean them up against power poles and street signs where they’re less obtrusive. They’re still going to topple over and block the footpaths though.

A major benefit of the big wheels is that they’ll slot into conventional bike racks.

They look great, like a penny farthing with mudguards and baskets.

I’ll buy a frameset if it’s available, but am still going to convert a bicycle - because it simplifies the trailer hitch and battery attachment.
 
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