Page 3925 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 1 December 2021
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This legislation builds on the bill that I introduced in August to create a progressive hierarchy of offences related to unsafe use of e-scooters and other alternative modes of transport. That bill proposes to give police officers the power to direct a person not to get on, or to get off, one of these devices. This is intended to address a situation where a police officer may see someone behaving in an unsafe way on an e-scooter or other device. It also builds on the non-legislative arrangements that we are introducing following the review of the shared e-scooter scheme, including introduction of a “three strikes” rule, where multiple acts of non-compliance, like not wearing a helmet or not parking a scooter properly, could lead to a user’s account being cancelled.
The provisions of the bill that I am introducing today are intended to be used in more serious instances, particularly where an accident has occurred. Police will be able to take into account whether someone was under the influence of alcohol or drugs in determining whether they had proper control of their device. Where a rider has been taken to hospital for examination or treatment because of an accident, a blood sample may be taken by a doctor or nurse and tested for drugs or alcohol. This sample may then be used in court as evidence that the rider was under the influence when riding. Police may also provide observational evidence to a court based on their professional judgement.
In addition to these provisions, the bill also makes a number of smaller and more technical changes to our existing road transport legislation. The ACT aims to be a global leader on climate change action, and the ACT government is committed to reducing transport emissions as part of reaching our ambitious target of net zero emissions by 2045.
Electric vehicles will play an important role in this. By cutting tailpipe emissions, they protect the environment from the effects of climate change and improve public health at the same time. In order to promote and support the use of zero emission vehicles in the ACT, the bill introduces amendments to the ACT’s road rules relating to electric vehicle parking.
The first amendment prohibits drivers of non-electric-powered vehicles from stopping in a parking area for electric-powered vehicles. The second amendment prohibits a driver of a vehicle from stopping in the parking area unless the vehicle is an electric-powered vehicle and is plugged in to an external source of electricity.
These amendments will be important in supporting zero emission vehicle uptake by preventing specified electric vehicle parking spaces from being taken up by non-electric vehicles and ensuring only those with electric-powered vehicles seeking to recharge their vehicles can park in designated charging areas. Again, this is only fair, and I expect to have the support of the entire Assembly on this issue. Consistent with other parking offences, each new offence will attract a maximum court penalty of 20 penalty units, or an infringement penalty notice of $125.
When developing these amendments, care was taken to ensure those with mobility parking permits can continue to enjoy their rights for which their mobility parking permit has been provided and also have access to designated electric vehicle parking
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