Pedestrian group warns against allowing e-bikes and e-scooters on footpaths

Pedestrian advocacy group Living Streets Aotearoa is urging the Government not to allow e-bikes, e-scooters or older children on bikes to use footpaths, warning the move could increase safety risks for pedestrians.

The organisation says it supports most proposals in the Government’s lane use improvements consultation but is strongly opposed to a proposal that would allow children up to the age of 12 to ride bikes and e-bikes on footpaths without a speed restriction.

Living Streets Aotearoa president Tim Jones says footpaths should primarily be used by pedestrians and low-speed mobility devices.

“Living Streets Aotearoa says footpaths are for people on foot, and for users of low-speed mobility devices such as wheelchairs. That’s who they were designed and built for,” Jones says.

He says the group supports the development of safer infrastructure that separates different road users.

“We support building safe, separated footpaths for pedestrians, and safe, separated lanes for cyclists and e-scooter users. We should build infrastructure that meets everyone’s needs, instead of crowding the footpath with fast-moving devices and increasing the risk of injuries for pedestrians.”

Jones says e-bikes and e-scooters can pose particular risks on footpaths due to their speed and weight.

“E-scooters and e-bikes don’t belong on the footpath, because they are so often used in ways that pose a danger to all pedestrians, but especially to elderly pedestrians, parents walking with children, and pedestrians with disabilities.”

The group says if bikes or e-scooters are allowed on footpaths, they should be restricted to walking speed and prohibited in areas where pedestrian safety could be compromised.

Living Streets Aotearoa supports several other elements of the consultation, including a proposal to allow e-scooters to use cycle lanes.

Jones says the group has advocated for that change for several years and believes it should go further by requiring e-scooters to use cycle lanes where they are available.

The organisation also backs proposals to introduce minimum passing distances for motorists overtaking other road users and to require drivers to give way to buses leaving bus stops.

However, Jones says the proposal to expand footpath access for bikes risks undermining pedestrian safety.

“Having to share the footpath with cyclists can make pedestrians feel unsafe and deter them from walking,” he says.

“The footpath is not the place for e-scooters, e-bikes or bikes.”