E-scooter riders have been put on notice across the Gold Coast, ahead of a busy summer period.
Police officers will be out in force to target users breaking fresh laws, which introduced speed limits and fines for using a phone.
‘Operation Uniform Elektra’ has been launched to educate Gold Coast riders about the new personal mobility device (PMD) reforms, and enforce the strict new laws.
Gold Coast District Entertainment Precinct Inspector Jim Munckton says you’ll spot plenty of officers out and about on the foreshore this holiday season.
“We’ll have police providing a highly visible presence as well as engaging with the users of personal mobility devices and pedestrians,” Inspector Munckton says.
“And also if necessary taking enforcement action.”
The operation is a timely one, with thousands flocking to the coast for summer – including young school leavers.
“We want to get in early we want to send a really clear message about the expectations of people operating personal mobility devices before schoolies and during the schoolies,”
“We’ll be carrying this operation through beyond schoolies right through the December-January school holiday period.”
Officers won’t turn a blind eye to interstate visitors, with Inspector Munckton saying plenty of “unnecessary risks” can be taken by visitors on holiday as they feel “a sense of freedom”.
The new reforms have reduced the speed limit to 12km/h on footpaths and shared paths.
Hefty fines apply for speeding with penalties of up to $575.
While riders busted using a mobile phone will be slugged $1,078.
“There’s been a big rise in the use of personal mobility devices, and they do have a lot of advantages,”
“But they don’t mix well with traffic, and they don’t mix well with pedestrians,
“So it’s about making everybody safe, including the operators, and those people using roads, or those people using footpaths.”
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