Inner West passengers in Sydney are facing disruptions as the T3 heavy rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown is set to be shut down for 12 months for conversion to a metro. In response to this, an e-scooter trial is being proposed to help ease public transport issues during this period. The trial, likely to be adopted by the Inner West Council, aims to provide a link between Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, and Tempe stations. However, the proposed trial is a scaled-down version of what Transport for NSW initially suggested.
Documents presented ahead of the council meeting reveal that Transport for NSW had proposed routes that would allow for direct e-scooter access between Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, and Sydenham stations, as well as routes to Tempe along the Cooks River, and a route north from Marrickville to Lewisham, Petersham, Stanmore, and Newtown stations. Despite this, the council expressed concerns over safety, management, and enforcement of such a large area, leading to the preference for a more confined corridor for the trial.
The smaller corridor proposed by council staff would restrict e-scooters to the Cooks River route from Dulwich Hill to Tempe and from Tempe to Marrickville. It would not allow for connections to Sydenham or the T2 inner west line further north. Additionally, the proposal suggests geo-fencing e-scooter parking to only those three stations, rather than along the routes in-between, in order to provide predictable and manageable start/finish points for users.
E-scooters are already legal in many countries and in certain states in Australia, such as Queensland, Tasmania, and the ACT. The trial in Sydney follows similar initiatives in other cities, including Melbourne where a trial has been ongoing since February 2022. In Sydney, the first e-scooter trial began in January in a small area around Kogarah, with 60 Beam scooters operating at limited speeds on roads and paths. Personal e-scooters remain illegal on NSW roads and footpaths except in designated trial areas, with Sydney being one of the six chosen locations for these trials.
Overall, the proposed e-scooter trial in the Inner West of Sydney aims to provide an alternative mode of transportation for passengers affected by the T3 heavy rail line shutdown. While the original proposal by Transport for NSW included more extensive routes, the council has opted for a smaller corridor for safety and management reasons. With e-scooters already in use in various parts of Australia and around the world, the trial in Sydney will contribute to the ongoing evaluation of this mode of transport and its potential benefits for commuters in the region.
