A last-ditch attempt to clean up Ballarat's e-scooter dumping issue may be too little too late to change riders' ingrained bad habits.
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Singaporean company Neuron Mobility recently changed the rules of its ongoing Ballarat hireable electronic scooter trial, with riders as of March 1 required to finish their trips at designated parking areas rather than hopping off wherever suits them.
It's understood a rider will continue to pay for their trip until Neuron's tracking technology detects their scooter has been placed in a designated area.
These kerbside parking stations aren't necessarily distinguishable with the naked eye - with no street signs or markings delineating them like a traditional car park - but can be found via the interactive map in Neuron's smartphone application.
A Neuron spokesperson said "safety is at the heart of everything we do" and the change was part of "continuous" efforts to improve service for riders and the general public.
But even e-scooter enthusiasts aren't convinced designated parking is the best solution to blocked footpaths and other bugbears at this late stage of the trial, which concludes on March 31.
Committee for Ballarat Chief Executive Michael Poulton is a frequent e-scooter rider who supports alternative transport initiatives to reduce traffic congestion in the growing city.
But Mr Poulton says new safety rules are of little use without public education campaigns reinforcing them.
Comparing e-scooter information with road safety campaigns targeting car drivers, Mr Poulton said the lack of messaging about responsible e-scooter use was a major contributor to the issues seen on Ballarat streets.
"There's the infrastructure component, but there's also the responsibility to teach people how to use this service and the government - local government, state government - and the industry hasn't invested in education in the same way they've invested in infrastructure," he said.
Designated parking also had the drawback of decreasing the attractiveness of e-scooters as a convenient transport option, Mr Poulton said, adding he'd already found himself using them less as a result of the rule change.
"I don't think it's the answer," he said.
"I accept they [Neuron] are trialing a strategy but the appeal of e-scooters is their door-to-door convenience, which is something this restricts.
"I was running late for a meeting [on Thursday] and I was going to jump on a scooter but then I realised, maybe I won't be able to park where I want to park.
"It becomes an inconvenience now to find that information."
The Department of Transport will evaluate outcomes of the Ballarat trial and make recommendations about the future use of e-scooters in the city.
But the use of data collected by the trial operator - a for-profit company - to do this has drawn criticism from e-scooter proponents and sceptics alike.
Dr Ben Rossiter of advocacy group Victoria Walks said independent data, taking into account a wider range of perspectives, was needed to conduct a proper assessment of the trial.
"The operator shouldn't be calling the shots, especially when their data ignores the people who are the most negatively impacted - like the elderly, people with disabilities, and families with young kids," Dr Rossiter said.
"Of course they're going to use the data that paints a nice, rosy picture."
The Committee for Ballarat believes the ideal mix for the city after the trial would be to have a number of companies offering e-scooter share schemes on a permanent basis, as well as the option for individuals to buy and legally use their own e-scooter on public roads and an improved network of shared bike paths.
The Committee is also advocating for regulators to allow people younger than 18 to hire e-scooters, and extend the riding area's boundaries to "cater for the whole of Ballarat".
"Environmentally, from a livability perspective, from a congestion perspective, we want to see a city that is less reliant on cars," Mr Poulton said.
"Ballarat is, in many ways, ideally suited to e-transport modalities.
"But this is a change process that is going to take some time to work through."
