The City of Greater Bendigo has welcomed the launch of Beam Mobility's temporary 12-month e-scooter trial in urban Bendigo.
Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said she was excited to see the effectiveness of Beam's hire e-scooters as an alternate mode of transport in Bendigo over the next year.
"We are delighted to welcome Beam which operates in over 100 cities and prides itself on having the safest operating track record in the micromobility sector," Cr Andrea Metcalf said.
"The 12-month trial is an exciting opportunity to see how the scheme can work in urban Bendigo and benefit residents and visitors.
"The trial aims to improve links between significant precincts and key destinations across the city, assist in better connections to public transport such as buses and trains, and encourage a shift away from cars for shorter trips.
"E-scooters can help to stimulate business and tourism opportunities and offer residents and visitors the chance to explore urban Bendigo in a new way.
"Beam's Safe Academy is hosting a free e-scooter rider training session at Rosalind Park's piazza from 3pm to 5pm on Thursday May 23 so come along for a test drive and learn some safety great tips.
"It is important to realise that as the trial operator Beam will be the first point of contact for the 12-month trial so please contact them directly for any matters relating to the purple hire e-scooters. Locally based Beam Safety Marshalls will be patrolling high traffic areas.
"Beam is also engaging with local community stakeholders and organisations which will continue throughout the trial so the operator can adjust and respond to feedback from the community."
Beam's Regional Operations Manager (Victoria) Ned Dale said the company was delighted to launch the trial as the City's shared micromobility partner.
"We are very excited to work in partnership with the City and have a dedicated team that can bring local knowledge, expertise, and technical capabilities," Mr Dale said.
"We're committed to investing in the local community, with new technology to improve safety and accessibility of our e-scooters, and new community programs to enable local businesses and community groups to unlock the benefits of shared micromobility.
"Safety is our first priority, and we are committed to enforcing safe riding, in collaboration with the police."
The Bendigo trial will begin in a small area, with adjustments made as necessary. Key recommendations from the City have shaped the trial, allowing e-scooters to travel up to 20 km/h on shared bike paths (they are not permitted on footpaths under Victorian e-scooter rules) with 'no-go' and 'go slow' zones. The designated area covers the city centre and will include go slow areas such as Bendigo Train Station, Pall Mall, and View Street where the e-scooters will automatically reduce speed to 15km/h.
Riders will be directed to appropriate parking locations within the operating area and must take a photo of their parking at the end of the trip to ensure responsible parking. The e-scooters cannot be activated outside of the designated area.
Outside the city centre, the north boundary is defined by Lake Weeroona, the Long Gully Trail and Prouses Rd, the East boundary is from Nolan St (from Lake Weeroona), Lloyd St, Murphy St then Lowndes St in Kennington, Crook St/Marnie Rd to cover Kennington Village and Edwards Rd to Nunn St/Race St to cover La Trobe University. The south boundary is defined by Wirth St, Drechsler St, Houston St, Russell Street to Myrtle St in Golden Square and the west boundary covers Myrtle St to Calder Hwy, Eaglehawk Rd and Harrison St to Fenton St (to close the loop with Prouses Rd).
Residents and visitors aged over 16 will only be able to hire Beam's e-scooter through the app service and will need to pay $1 to unlock it and the cost per minute starts at $0.51c. Students and concession card holders are eligible for discounts.
The e-scooters will be available for hire between 5am and 11pm, seven days a week, and are accessible simply by downloading the Beam app and scanning the QR code on the e-scooters.
