Melbourne-Based Council Limits ‘Inappropriate Use’ and Parking of E-Scooters

The council received $180,000 per year from e-scooter operators.

Hire e-scooters are lined up in Melbourne's central business district (CBD) in Australia on Aug. 13, 2024. William West/AFP via Getty Images

An inner east council in Melbourne will limit parking and inappropriate use of e-scooters following complaints from the community.

The Yarra City Council voted for a resolution (pdf) that requests geofencing (placing a virtual boundary) of all pavements that are narrower than two metres.

In a statement, the council said e-scooters continue to be ridden and dumped in a way that blocks footpaths, putting pedestrians at risk, especially the visually impaired and disabled.

“Citing concerns on public safety and accessibility, Yarra City Council last night put e-scooter providers on notice,” the council said.

“As a way of helping prevent inappropriate use and parking of e-scooters, council resolved to geofence all footpaths narrower than two metres across the municipality by the end of January—prioritising hotspots for e-scooter trips and events.”

Shared e-scooters have been operating within the Yarra City Council area since 2022 as part of a joint agreement with the City of Port Phillip.

The geofence, or virtual boundary, is created around a geographic area using GPS, WIFI or cellular data. Practically, it would stop e-scooters from parking or operating in areas of concern.

The council said it was important that a balance was struck between promoting a sustainable transport option and community access concerns.

“Council continues to receive complaints from the community, who are increasingly frustrated at the time taken to retrieve inappropriately parked e-scooters, including footpath trading zones,” it said.

“As a result, council is having to shift limited resources to effectively monitor and resolve what Council believes to be the remit of the providers—and something that is not sustainable.”

The council will continue to talk with business leaders on the impact of e-scooter parking in Yarra activity centres.

“Noting that the current e-scooter agreement ends in April next year, council has requested that e scooter operators provide detailed data on complaints regarding inappropriate parking of e-scooters, including location and daily usage patterns in high-traffic areas, so that council can better identify where greater enforcement is required, and the cost of doing this effectively,” Yarra City Council added.

Only Greens councillors Sophie Wade and Edward Crossland voted against the motion.

The inner city council covers suburbs including Carlton, Fitzroy, Princes Hill and Richmond, Abbotsford, Alphington, Burnley, Carlton North, Clifton Hill, Collingwood, and Cremorne.

Corporate Subsidy ‘Must End’: Mayor

In a post to X, Yarra Mayor Stephen Jolly said last council meeting of the year voted on “exciting reforms.”

“We introduced strict conditions on the two e-scooter companies. We haven’t banned them but they'll now need to ensure their users don’t abuse our streets and footpaths,” Jolly said.

“There will be geofencing on footpaths of 2m or less wide. We also exposed how Council has been financially subsiding these multinational companies for the duration of the trial. This corporate subsidy must end.”

A report to Council (pdf) prepared by officers noted “significant officer time” and resources had been needed to administer the shared e-scooter scheme trial.

The cost was partly offset by scooter operators contributing $180,000 to Council for the e-scooters’ operation.

“The exact amount that the scheme is costing Council is difficult to quantify and can vary significantly from one year to the next for various reasons some of which are beyond the control of Council,” the report said.

E-Scooters ‘Continue to Be a Significant Issue’

The final council motion (pdf) also noted complaints have been received about e-scooters being parked in footpath trading zones.

The resolution observed that despite efforts to educate risers and regulate the use of shared e-scooters, “e-scooters being ridden on the pavement and abandoned e-scooters blocking pavements continue to be a significant issue across the municipality.”

Further, it noted that council did not have the staff or infrastructure to monitor “inappropriately parked” e-scooters or transport e-scooters from one place to another.

“Despite shared e-scooter operators being on notice that they must address this issue of inappropriate parking of e-scooters on narrow pavements, complaints have been received from the community regarding to the timeframes for retrieving inappropriately parked e-scooters,” the motion stated.

Jolly was elected to serve as the city’s mayor at a council meeting in late November, following the 2024 Victorian Council elections.

Prior to the election in 2024, Green Edward Crossland served as mayor.  The council hit headlines in July 2024 over a push recommending residents “act on the climate emergency' by switching to a plant based diet.