Hong Kong is quick to embrace novelty, but it can be tardy when it comes to dealing with the ensuing problems. A case in point is the growing popularity of electric scooters. As the devices attract more users and accidents, the need for regulation is obvious.
The initial green light for electric bicycles and scooters to be used on cycling tracks in Tseung Kwan O and Pak Shek Kok later this year is overdue.
The trial scheme will come with a 25km/h (16mph) speed limit, with the weight of the devices capped at 20kg (44lbs) and a width not exceeding 65cm (26 inches), according to an adviser of the Transport Department’s electric mobility devices committee.
Currently, the use of e-scooters and hoverboards on carriageways, footpaths and cycling tracks is punishable by a HK$5,000 (US$640) fine and three months in jail. It is understood that the trial scheme would exclude hoverboards as they lack brakes.
Separately, the authorities have put the onus on distributors to ensure the safety of the imported products, which must be equipped with alarms, proper lighting and effective braking. The battery must fulfil European Union safety standards to avoid leakage, overheating and fire hazards.
Hong Kong set to give e-scooters green light in trial scheme covering 2 areas
Police figures show there were 56 related accidents from 2020 to 2022. In January, a 28-year-old restaurant delivery man with head injuries was found unconscious beside an e-scooter in a car park in Kwun Tong.
In February 2020, a short circuit from a charging e-scooter was suspected to have caused a fire at a public housing flat, killing a seven-year-old boy. The potential hazards arising from such devices must not be taken lightly.
Belated as it is, the regulation is a right step forward. In 2020, the Canadian city of Montreal banned all e-scooters for rental or private use, while the Danish capital, Copenhagen, also banned rentals before allowing them with stricter conditions a year later.
Recently, Parisians voted to ban the devices starting from September amid concerns over spiralling fatalities and injuries in the French capital. But the vehicles continue to serve as an alternative mode of commuting and way of getting around by tourists in other countries.
With proper regulation and compliance, there is no reason to take e-scooters off the city roads.
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