A 12-month trial of e-scooters will kick off across the Lake Macquarie council area from early December.
Micromobility company Beam will be distributing the e-scooters across Lake Macquarie as part of the trial. Riders must be at least 16 years old and there will be a speed limit of a maximum of 10km/h will be in place.
The use of privately owned e-scooters remains prohibited.
Minister for Active Transport Rob Stokes said “e-scooters offer an exciting new mode of mobility, but we’re making haste slowly to learn how we can safely integrate them onto our roads and shared paths,” Mr Stokes said.
There have been two e-scooter share program trials in New South Wales, one in the Sydney CBD and more recently in parts of Western Sydney. The latter trial saw 4000 trips recorded.
Lake Macquarie will be the first local government area in New South Wales to take part in a council-wide trial.
E-scooters will be available for use on four tracks only in Lake Macquarie: the Fernleigh Track, the Croudace Bay foreshore, the Warners Bay foreshore, and the Toronto foreshore to Fassifern train station.
“As technology changes, we need to change with it, and this trial will allow people to test a new way of moving around safely while taking in the beautiful Lake Macquarie region,” said the Member for Lake Macquarie Greg Piper.
You can read more about the broader NSW E-scooter Shared Scheme Trial here.