"Trialling e-scooters in the Garden is the perfect place to start in NSW, providing visitors a safe route and another enjoyable way to experience a part of Australian’s largest botanic garden," Ms Ora said.
"With e-scooters growing in popularity and providing a sustainable transport option for visitors, we expect this new service to be a hit and look forward to welcoming visitors to try them out."
FAQs
Why is The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan trialling shared e-scooters?
In response to the growing popularity of e-scooters and the need to safely manage their use, the the NSW government is enabling a trial of e-scooter shared schemes.
The Garden has been selected as one of the shared e-scooters trial areas in NSW.
The NSW Government is rolling out these trials in the safest way possible and bringing e-scooters to the Gardens is the perfect place to start.
Who can use these shared e-scooters?
Visitors must be 18 years old and over to use these shared e-scooters within the Garden trial area.
Do people need a driver’s license to use them?
No.
Where in the Gardens will shared e-scooters be allowed?
They will be restricted to Yandelora Circuit (the central loop shared zone) and Caley Drive (the loop road which runs around the southern end of the Garden). Look out for signs in these areas.
Riders will be restricted to these roads only and will not be permitted on internal pathways, or other routes through the Garden.
Riders of shared e-scooters must:
- go no faster than:
- 20 kilometres per hour on the road
- 10 kilometres per hour in shared zones
- wear a helmet at all times
- not carry any passengers
- not use a mobile phone while riding an e-scooter
When riding, we also ask visitors to ride predictably.
Shared e-scooters will be ‘geo-fenced’, meaning visitors will not be able to take them outside of the trial area.
How long will the trial run?
The trial is expected to run for three months from Sunday 14 August.
How can visitors use these shared e-scooters?
Download the
Bird app or scan the QR code on site.
For additional support, please contact the Bird team at mountannan@bird.co
Can people ride their own e-scooter in the Gardens during this trial?
No, it will remain illegal to ride privately owned e-scooters in the Garden and on all roads, footpaths, and shared/bicycle paths in NSW.
Why hasn’t the whole of the Garden been allowed?
The shared e-scooter areas are restricted to the central and southern roadways of the Garden in order to closely monitor and review how it works during the trial period.
What will people get to see on the route?
Riders will get to travel around a large area of the Garden, providing a new perspective on the landscape that isn’t able to be appreciated by car. Riders will also be able to stop at the Bottlebrush, Wattle and Banksia Gardens and explore on foot.
Why can’t riders go on the footpaths of the Garden?
The NSW Government has taken time to determine the trial framework, which limits the shared scheme e-scooters to bicycle lanes and paths, shared paths (which can be identified by signs and/or pavement markings showing a pedestrian and a bicycle) and on roads with a speed limit up to 50 km/h only. The Garden’s scooters will have a max speed of 20km/h and speed zones of 10km/h where they occur across Caley Drive and Yandelora Circuit must be observed. Speeding on e-scooters may incur a fine. They are not permitted on footpaths.
How will this trial impact the environment?
Staff have prepared an environmentally sensitive no-go zone map. Due to the technology built into the e-scooters, riders will be unable to take them off the roadways, therefore ensuring protection of our unique ecosystems across the Garden. The provider can easily find dumped or stolen scooters via GPS.
How will this impact cars using the road?
Staff have prepared a detailed traffic plan and set up a parking zone on Caley Drive. Vehicles will be expected to share the road with the e-scooters just as they share with any cyclists who currently use the road system. Dedicated e-scooter parking zones will be set up near the Visitor Centre in Yandelora Circuit and then at each of the key areas along the route – Bottlebrush, Wattle and Banksia Gardens.