E-scooters could be on their way to Gungahlin and Mitchell soon

E-scooters could be coming to Gungahlin and Mitchell soon. Photo: Michelle Kroll.

Canberra’s now-(in)famous e-scooters are a step closer to being available in Gungahlin and Mitchell after the government passed a motion to enhance the scheme.

Yerrabi MLA Michael Pettersson said the amplification of the scheme could include greater geographical coverage, more scooters and parking areas and better connections to public transport.

“We already know that the scheme has proved to be hugely popular,” Mr Pettersson said.

“Having e-scooters operating in our town centre and business districts will encourage more localised active travel and provide a boost to our local economies.

“I [would also like to see] additional parking spaces for the e-scooters around our light rail stops so we can improve public transport connections.”

Yerrabi MLA Michael Pettersson moved a motion in the Legislative Assembly calling on the government to enhance the e-scooter share scheme. Photo: Dominic Giannini.

President of the Mitchell Traders Association Sukhieet Singh said an expansion of the scheme would actively encourage more people to visit the area and make it easier for workers to move about.

“Mitchell is one of Canberra’s best industrial employment hubs and we know that the use of e-scooters will help workers get around different sites and workshops quickly and cheaply,” Mr Singh said.

“Our area is also rapidly changing with new types of businesses being established. We would welcome any measure to increase accessibility in and around Mitchell.

“We are also looking forward to seeing the completion of the Stanford Street light rail stop, which will further encourage people to visit the area and make it easier for business owners and employees to get to work.”

There are 1500 e-scooters operated by two companies – Neuron Mobility and Beam – around the central Canberra and Belconnen regions.

But according to the YourSay community panel, four in five respondents from the Gungahlin area want the scheme expanded so they can use the e-scooters locally.

This was significantly higher than the 65 per cent of Canberrans who expressed their support for the scheme and 63 per cent who wanted the scheme to be expanded in the same survey.

The shared e-scooter scheme started in September last year. It is currently being reviewed by the ACT Government.