Melbourne officials vote to ban rental e-scooters

MELBOURNE: Melbourne has become the latest city to ban rental e-scooters, abruptly moving to end a trial contract with two firms after a community revolt.

After a six-to-four council vote late on Tuesday, city authorities said they would give operators Lime and Neuron 30 days to rid the city centre of the two-wheeled contraptions.

Mayor Nicholas Reece -- a former executive at the men´s health charity Movember -- backed the move and said it had popular support.

He alleged scooters had been scattered around the city “like confetti”, posing a risk to the community.

For fans, e-scooters are a transport revolution -- allowing commuters to zip around crowded cities with ease and at minimal cost.

For detractors, they are injury-inducing street litter and a hipsters´ plague on peaceful pedestrians.

In just two decades, e-scooters have grown into a worldwide market worth tens of billions of dollars a year.

But Melbourne follows cities from Barcelona to Montreal in banning or limiting where e-scooters can go. Researchers at the University of New South Wales report the growth of e-scooters has brought a rise in related injuries and hospital admissions, mostly from men aged in their late 20s to early 30s.