sa motor
Green light for e-scooters
It might soon be legal for privately owned e-scooters to be used on public roads and footpaths across South Australia.
The State Government announced in June that it would introduce a bill to allow privately owned e-scooters and other electric personal mobility devices on roads, footpaths and shared use paths.
RAA Future Mobility Expert Mark Borlace says the intention to legalise the use of privately owned e-scooters is welcome news.
“E-scooters are a fantastic transport solution for short and medium trips, and we’ve seen through the e-scooter hire trials just how popular these devices are,” Mark says. “There have been nearly three million trips on hire scooters in Adelaide since 2020.
“Whether you’re travelling to and from public transport, around the city or in your local area, e-scooters can be a great alternative to driving or walking.”
The move follows public consultation, with 87 per cent of respondents supporting the ongoing use of e-scooters on public roads and paths.
The State Government has announced its intention that under the new laws:
- e-scooters will be permitted on footpaths and shared-use paths at a maximum speed of 15km/h
- e-scooters will be allowed in bike lanes and on public roads that have a speed limit of 50km/h, with e-scooters permitted to travel at 25km/h
- riders will be required to wear a helmet at all times
- riders must be aged 16 or older
- riders will be forbidden from riding an e-scooter when under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Mark says insurance has been an issue in other states when legalising the use of privately owned scooters in public locations. “If someone hits a person or object while riding an e-scooter, there’s a public liability issue that needs to be addressed,” he says.
“Through the consultation period, we look forward to better understanding how the proposed legislation and regulations will address the issue.” The legislation is expected to pass parliament later this year.
SA road in focus
In each edition of sa move, we shine the spotlight on a South Australian road.
Length
Casualty crashes
Minor injuries
Serious injuries
Fatalities
The road: Upper Yorke Road
Why it’s a focus
Located on the Yorke Peninsula, Upper Yorke Road is an inland link between Port Broughton and Maitland via Bute, Kulpara and Arthurton. It also connects these towns to the Copper Coast Highway, which leads to Adelaide.
It’s regularly used by trucks, particularly during grain harvesting season. The busiest section of the road is between Bute and Kulpara, carrying an average of 1100 vehicles a day, of which 18 per cent are heavy vehicles as big as B-double trucks.
The section between Kulpara and Arthurton was nominated by South Australians as the state’s third riskiest regional road in RAA’s 2021 Risky Roads survey. In a 2022 Grain Producers SA survey, members of the organisation singled it out as the state’s worst road for transporting grain.
RAA’s 2023 assessment of Upper Yorke Road found that 90 per cent of the Kulpara to Arthurton section achieved only a one-star-rating under the AusRAP star-rating scheme, while a 2019–20 upgrade between Arthurton and Maitland saw this section achieve a mostly three-star rating.
Crash history (2018–2022)
Collisions with fixed objects – mostly trees – represented more than half of recorded crashes. All these crashes involved passenger vehicles, with one crash also involving a B-double truck.
Most of the crashes occurred during the day in dry conditions. Only one casualty crash happened at night.
What RAA wants done
RAA recommends upgrading Upper Yorke Road to achieve an AusRAP star rating of at least three stars along the entire corridor. This requires widening the lanes to 3.3m, and widening and sealing the road shoulders to a width of 1m. Roadside hazard protection and/or vegetation removal is also needed, particularly on curves.
These upgrades would provide a safer and more reliable transport corridor for all road users.
Planned upgrades
As part of the federal and state governments’ Road Safety Program, two sections of Upper Yorke Road will be upgraded to achieve a three-star AusRAP rating. This includes a 35km section between Kulpara and Arthurton and a 25km stretch between Port Broughton and Bute.
Upgrades include shoulder sealing, curve widening, safety barrier installation, hazard removal and audio tactile line marking. This will bring these dangerous sections up to a similar standard as the rest of the road.
RAA welcomes this government commitment to improve safety for heavy-vehicle operators, local road users and tourists.
Mixed results in state and federal budgets
Previously axed upgrades to the Verdun and Mount Barker interchanges have been revived thanks to $150 million of funding announced in the recent state and federal budgets.
However, no funding has been made available for the duplication of the Augusta, Dukes and Sturt highways or Truro Bypass project despite RAA calling for funding to be allocated to these projects.
RAA Senior Manager of Infrastructure and Road Safety Charles Mountain says the Verdun and Mount Barker interchange projects are vital to support the Adelaide Hills’ growing population.
“Residential development has expanded rapidly in this region, and the upgrade of these busy interchanges will help ease congestion and improve safety,” Charles says.
RAA also welcomes the state and federal governments’ $200 million contribution to South Eastern Freeway upgrades to improve safety between Crafers and the Tollgate.
The Federal Government has provided the state a further $360.8 million for the current five-year cycle of the Roads to Recovery program, which commenced in July this year.
Other wins for road safety included:
- $100 million of federal funding over three years for new and upgraded bicycle and walking paths across Australia
- $76.6 million for the Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program
- $31.8 million from the state and federal governments to build three overtaking lanes between Normanville and Cape Jervis
- A $20m funding commitment from both state and federal governments for planning transport network improvements to improve the resilience of the Riverland road network, following the damage caused by the 2022–23 floods
- A $10m commitment towards planning for outer metropolitan and regional passenger rail service extensions.
Other state spending includes $35 million for safety improvements on regional roads.
Although RAA is pleased with the state and federal governments’ commitment to funding infrastructure projects, Charles says there’s much more to be done.
“It’s disappointing no further funding has been made available to progress the design for duplicating the next stage of the Augusta Highway,” Charles says. “We were also looking for funding for the Truro Bypass project, as well as designs for the duplication of the Sturt and Dukes Highways.”
“In addition, there are currently more than 2500km of SA roads in need of repair. The latest Auditor General Report shows 20 per cent of our 13,000km sealed road network is in the maintenance backlog.” RAA also hoped there would be more federal action on motor tax reform.
“With the increased popularity of EVs, there will be less revenue generated by the fuel excise,” Charles says. “The Federal Government needs to look at motoring tax reform to ensure all motorists are paying their fair share for road maintenance.”
RAA roundtable recommends driving test every 10 years
RAA roundtable recommends driving test every 10 years
Making sure drivers know the road rules before renewing their licence is among the recommendations to come from a road safety roundtable.
Ahead of Road Safety Week earlier this year, RAA brought together industry experts for a road safety roundtable, including representatives from the emergency services, vulnerable road user groups and road safety professionals.
The roundtable focused on three critical areas where significant improvement is needed: vulnerable road users, regional road safety and road-user behaviour.
RAA has released some of the recommendations for further discussion, including:
- All licence holders needing to sit an online road rules test prior to renewing their licence every 10 years
- Investigating options to provide regional road safety education programs that can be delivered in conjunction with the local community
- Conducting a review into the impact of wearing earphones and headphones while driving or riding and whether there should be restrictions
- Exploring how to educate the community about the wide-ranging negative impacts of alcohol consumption on driving capability
- Releasing crash data every six months.
RAA Senior Manager of Road Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain says the next step is to investigate and prioritise key recommendations.
These recommendations are a great starting point to progress initiatives that can contribute to improving road safety and help save lives on our roads,” Charles says.
Tapleys Hill Road speed limit changed
The speed limit along a 2.2km section of Tapleys Hill Road past Adelaide Airport and Harbour Town has been reduced to 60km/h.
RAA supports this move, noting that the former 80km/h speed limit contributed to a high number of crashes along this stretch of road.
The 1.2km section between Sir Donald Bradman Drive and West Beach Road is a crash hotspot, accounting for 19 per cent of crashes along Tapleys Hill Road, despite being only nine per cent of the total road length.
RAA believes the reduced speed limit makes this road safer for all road users. Traffic modelling and driving assessments indicate the change will have little impact on travel time but will reduce the number of crashes.
IMAGES: Getty; RAA.
