Samantha Motion: Lime is coming, let's give e-scooters a chance

Lime has been granted permission for a one-year trial in Tauranga. Photo / File

OPINION

The micro-mobility rental revolution is coming to the Bay of Plenty, finally.

Tauranga City Council has given Lime permission for a one-year trial of its app-based, shared e-scooter service in the city.

We know the company has also been talking to Rotorua Lakes Council about a proposed trial, so it would be no surprise if that city followed suit in the near future.

This region is pretty late to the party, all things considered.

E-scooters have been legal in New Zealand since 2004 and it's been two years since Lime's rental service arrived in Auckland and Christchurch, not too long after the first overseas schemes started.

Now there are multiple operators and thousands of rentable e-scooters around the country - millions around the world.

They are in the big Aotearoa cities, sure, but even Selwyn District got there before us.

Given the bumpy settling in period, however, I suggest our councils have been pretty happy to sit back and let other places be the guinea pigs.

A rash of accidents, soaring ACC claims, the tragic death of a 23-year-old rider and a braking bug (fixed) have been just some of the issues.

Rented e-scooters have been used for drug deliveries, been propelled by fireworks, and left in lots of bizarre places.

Regulators weren't ready at the start and while they are still catching up in many aspects - particularly at the national level, where there are debates about mandating helmets and scooting in cycle lanes - they have learned from the experience and our local councils can hopefully avoid repeating others' mistakes.

The reaction to Tauranga's announcement has been interesting to watch.

There has been a fair bit of "finally" sentiment and excitement for trying what is still a novelty for many, but also dire predictions, and reasonable concerns expressed.

E-scooter riders already share the city's streets but it's still pretty expensive to buy one of your own, so they aren't too common.

By-the-minute rentals will change that, making this form of transport available to any adult with a smartphone.

It's going to be an adjustment.

There will be crashes - and as with all forms of transport, we hope they are not serious. People will get frights, scooters will be left in thoughtless positions, and a certain amount of drunken tomfoolery can be expected.

But the novelty will wear off, and then we should largely be left with people just getting around the city in a convenient way while taking up none of our scarce parking, adding to none of our frustrating traffic queues and leaving no foul emissions in their wake.

Worth giving it a proper shot, I reckon.