A trial of electric scooters in the Taupō town centre is about to get underway.
Council approved a proposal by Taupō company Glide Scooters at its May meeting, with the hire of electric scooters starting this week and running through to June 2020.
The scooters will be available for use on footpaths in the town centre, lakefront reserves to Three Mile Bay and Spa Thermal Park.
The permit allows a maximum of 100 e-scooters to be used each day from 7.30am to 10.30pm between 24 October to 31 November; 6am to 12am between 1 December 2019 to 28 Febuary 2020; and from 7.30am to 10.30pm between 1 March to 24 June 2020.
Infrastructure manager Denis Lewis said certain conditions have been included in the permit to help manage the trial effectively.
“The permit covers conditions such as limiting the speed to 12km/h in the CBD,” he said.
“Safety and community well-being is our primary concern and we want to ensure these are prioritised throughout the trial.”
Council will closely monitor how the scooters are managed over the trial.
“We will be working closely with the operator, police and other stakeholders to monitor the operation and support safe operation for users, pedestrians and motorists,” Mr Lewis said.