With the jury still out on Ballarat's suitability for a permanent e-scooter hire scheme, more riders are suggesting a shift in thinking is what's needed to address safety issues.
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E-scooter hire company Neuron Mobility recently introduced designated parking as part of its ongoing Ballarat trial, meaning riders can no longer end their trip wherever they please but must use an in-app map to find a parking station.
The success of the new rule is yet to be seen, with some scooter enthusiasts previously telling The Courier it decreases the "door to door convenience" that's been a big part of the technology's appeal.
Now, more riders have come forward to say it's culture change that's needed to ensure e-scooters' successful integration into the city's transport mix.
Alfredton radio producer Patrick Laverick bought an e-scooter after seeing them used in Europe in 2019.
He's since clocked about 3000kms commuting to work and has found Ballarat as a city to be well-suited to the technology.
Mr Laverick supports the Neuron trial as a way to give first-time users easy access to the technology and "get motorists used to having scooters on the roads".
But he doesn't think the data collected in the trial - which excludes privately owned e-scooters - will necessarily provide the best guidance going forward.
Regardless of the trial findings, he's suggested a simple rule of thumb can go a long way to addressing regulatory gaps: "just approach everything the same way you would if you were a cyclist".
Applying the same road rules and parking etiquette as cyclists, Mr Laverick says he's had an overwhelmingly positive experience riding his e-scooter in Ballarat over the past three years, save for some "negligent" car drivers failing to give way at roundabouts.
He's so far avoided any trouble with police for riding what is, under Victoria's current laws, an illegal unregistered vehicle.
And he believes if all road-users followed the principle, e-scooters could be integrated as a safe, convenient transport option.
"The best solution is to take all of the things that already regulate cyclists on the road, and just apply that to scooters," he said.
"They function largely the same [as bicycles]: they're going at the same speed, you have the same sort of safety features like helmets, so that would make most sense to me".
Committee for Ballarat CEO Michael Poulton previously said share hire scheme operators and local councils needed to put more focus on education around responsible e-scooter use.
But advocacy group Victoria Walks' executive officer Dr Ben Rossiter has disputed that idea, telling The Courier "research shows public education of e-scooter users has very limited impact on their behaviour".
Victoria Walks initially welcomed Neuron's introduction of designated parking, but only on the proviso none of the parking stations would be located on footpaths.
"If they're on the road, that's fantastic and we fully support it," Dr Rossiter said.
"There should be no reason, ever, for them to go on footpaths," he said.
Neuron has since confirmed some of Ballarat's designated parking stations are on paths "in suitable locations".
Neuron's Ballarat trial concludes on March 31, after which the Department of Transport will decide the future of e-scooter use in the city.
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