Riccarton ward Council candidate Mark Chirnside - affectionately known and loved by ALL as “Chirny” - is calling for a massive increase in micro-mobility options in the city. This includes eScooters, eBikes, and innovative solutions like on-site rental electronic skateboards.

“I’m running in our local elections because I want to offer an alternative to the things you hear everyday. So much of our debate is focused on whether to favour cycleways or roads, and I think we’re neglecting consideration of our other options for quick, convenient, spontaneous mobility.”

Chirnside believes that eScooters in particular have been implemented “haphazardly”, with companies having simply dumped them here with no consideration for how they mesh with our infrastructure.

“But that doesn’t mean they have to be a bad thing. We can clean up the mess of scooters dumped on berms and in our waterways, and provide dedicated stations around the city that make eScooters a cleaner and more appealing choice for locals and visitors alike.

“We can clean up the mess, increase safety, and massively expand availability and access. These things go hand in hand.”

Chirnside believes that innovative solutions were necessary to make micro-mobility safer, and that we should consider allowing eScooters to use cycle lanes under certain circumstances.

“If eBikes can use our cycle lanes, I think eScooters should be able to as well. This has the added benefit of getting them off our footpaths, where they are a potential safety hazard to both pedestrians and people with other mobility needs - such as those with mobility scooters.”

Chirnside thinks we should look into allowing people with mobility scooters to use the cycle lanes as well.

He also wants to work hand-in-hand with companies that provide rentable eScooters, eBikes and also electric cars to develop an integrated network to make clean and reliable spontaneous transport an option for all.

“The simple fact is that the state of our micro-mobility is a mess. If I’m elected to Council, I’ll implore whoever is mayor - “Closed shops” Cycleway Sara or “Pollute the planet” Fuel-Hungry Phil - to consider the third way, and I’ll work with them enthusiastically to get it done.

“If you live in Riccarton ward, please, give your vote to Micro-Mobility Mark!”

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