Active Transport in WA
Local Government owns and maintains a substantial portion of the Active Transport infrastructure currently in place across WA and is active in advocating on behalf of Local Government on issues related to Active Transport.
One issue currently facing Local Governments in WA is the proliferation of eRideable devices, both public and private, which often use the Active Transport network.
On Friday, 29 October 2021, the Road Safety Commission and Department of Transport delivered a presentation relating to planned regulatory changes, to make eRideables legal on public roads in Western Australia, and on e-scooter share schemes. eRideables are electrically-powered mobility devices, such as e-scooters, e-skateboards, “one-wheels” and others.
The presentations slides can be found here, along with the permit used by the City of Adelaide for e-scooter share scheme operators, and the assessment matrix used by the City of San Francisco to assess competing bids by operators.
Bicycle share schemes offer many attractive benefits to the local community including promoting cycling as a mode of transport, increasing health, increasing mobility choices particularly for tourists and shorter trips, improving air quality and reducing congestion.
In recent years electric scooter shared services, also known as e-scooters, have rapidly expanded across the world. While e-scooter shared services are not suitable for long commutes, they are useful for short trips, provide options for the ‘last mile’, provide links to public transport, and are appealing for recreational use and tourism. WALGA is working with the Department of Transport and Local Governments to review all relevant legislative and regulatory requirements so that these services may be considered in Western Australia.
Reference Groups
Local Government Active Transport Reference Group
WALGA convenes the Local Government Active Transport Reference Group to provide a mechanism for Local Government Officers involved with the design and delivery of active transport infrastructure to work together on agreed objectives to advance active transport for the Local Government sector.
The objectives of the group are to:
- Identify and make recommendations on strategic and other active transport issues common to the Local Government sector.
- Provide a sector position for Local Government representation on active transport working groups, committees and relevant forums.
The group meets on a biannual basis to discuss important active transport-related issues.
WA Bike Riding Reference Group
The Bike Riding Reference Group provides strategic advice and support to government and members to progress cycling across WA. Members represent 10 State Government departments/agencies and 5 peak industry bodies, including WALGA.
