Get e-scooters off our footpaths

E-scooters on footpaths are a danger to all pedestrians. However, disabled people, older people and children are at particular risk of being hit by e-scooters on footpaths.

We have one last chance to get e-scooters off our footpaths once and for all.

Waka Kotahi is currently consulting on whether to renew the declaration that exempts e-scooters from being motor vehicles. This exemption means that, currently, e-scooters are allowed to be ridden on footpaths because they are not considered a motor vehicle.

We, along with Blind Citizens NZ and Living Streets Aotearoa, are calling on Waka Kotahi to not renew this declaration and to get these dangerous vehicles off our footpaths because the risk is real. Since the introduction of e-scooters, disabled people have been injured and hospitalised.

Many disabled and older people say they feel unsafe and are afraid to walk in our city centres and their neighbourhoods because of the danger posed by e-scooters on footpaths.

People who are blind, deafblind, low vision or vision impaired are at serious risk of injury from falling over e-scooters left lying on the footpath or walking in areas e-scooters are being ridden. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people have been shocked at something they can’t hear suddenly rushing past them.

The impact of e-scooters should not be minimised. They are vehicles with the potential to cause injury and should be treated as such.

Sign the petition – 'Give us back our footpaths!'

Disabled Persons Assembly (DPA), Blind Citizens NZ, and Living Streets Aotearoa is running a petition.

By signing the petition you can show your support for creating safer streets for everyone! Keeping footpaths for feet and mobility device users.

Find out more, sign and share the 'Give us back our footpaths' petition'.

Want to do more to get e-scooters off our footpaths?

DPA is putting in a submission to Waka Kotahi that will include members stories. If you'd like to share a story with us, email it to policy@dpa.org.nz by Monday 31 July.

Find out more and have your say directly about the Waka Kotahi review of the e-scooter declaration by 5pm Monday 7 August.