Hobart mum called out for riding e-scooter with a child across the road by councillor Louise Elliott

• A woman was videoed crossing the road on an e-scooter with a child 
• The illegal act was filmed on Monday at a busy Hobart intersection 
• But others told critics to leave them alone praising the ‘superhero mum’

A woman has been slammed online after she was filmed riding an e-scooter with a young child across a busy road – an illegal act that has sparked fierce debate on social media. 

Vision of the woman with the child on the purple electric scooter was taken as they crossed the intersection of Liverpool and Barrack Streets in Hobart on Monday.  

City of Hobart Councillor Louise Elliott happened to film the pair slowly crossing the road on the device and posted it to social media. 

‘I’m all for individual choice and responsibility but this is not cool. Actually, it’s really cool to the point that there’s frost on the ground,’ she said on social media. 

‘The streets were frosty and especially dangerous, I don’t want to see this viewed as acceptable.

‘I watched them get on [I was too far away to say anything] and looked like they’d definitely done this before.’

The pair slowly rode across the street with a large black backpack hanging off the front of the bike – but stopped awkwardly when they reached the footpath. 

They then appeared to lose some control over the scooter as the backpack was tossed about – forcing the bike to manoeuvre towards busy Liverpool Road.

Both were seen placing a foot on the ground to get their balance back on track before moving on.

‘I was really worried about the little kid … [the e-scooters are] heavy and hard to manoeuvre and it was slippery as,’ Cr Elliott said. 

‘I just don’t want to see kids hurt or killed or the mum to cop a big fine.’

Operating a personal mobility device (PMD) – which includes e-scooters and e-skateboards – is tightly regulated across the country and attracts heavy fines. 

The woman in the vision could cop two $135.75 fines under Tassie law for not wearing a securely fitted helmet and for riding with another person on a PMD.

The post went viral on social media drawing fiery debate as some accused the councillor of ‘crossing the line’ and for being a ‘nanny state’ advocate.

‘You’ve crossed a line here posting your video … You don’t know her circumstances,’ one woman said. 

‘It’s dangerous and illegal and I was concerned for both of their safety, especially the young child’s,’ the councillor shot back. 

‘I [have] seen first-hand horrific and life-changing injuries from these hire e-scooters in Hobart.’

‘Please don’t turn into a proponent of a “nanny state.” Shame on you,’ another critic fired at her. 

Cr Elliot told Daily Mail Australia she was happy to cop criticism for being a ‘nanny’. 

‘I’d rather discourage dangerous behaviour than say nothing,’ she said.

The cancer survivor and mum of two said she knows how precious life is.

‘Maybe I worry too much but … given these are hire e-scooters allowed by the Hobart City Council – that I’m a member of – I felt compelled to say something,’ she said.

Meanwhile, another commenter agreed with Cr Elliott. 

‘It is unsafe and illegal to ride the scooters like that. Unsafe for the child and the mum who are unrecognisable in the clip,’ they said. 

But others praised the woman on the bike while taking aim at the authorities. 

‘Go Mumma! What a legend,’ one wrote. 

‘Leave them alone … we are all struggling with the costs of living,’ another said.

‘Look back over the years of no seatbelts or a bassinet in the back of a car was all good enough. Well done mum for making the effort to get the kid to school.’

‘I think the mum is capable of making the safety call and it’s not good to shame her and her child on social media,’ one Tasmanian said. 

‘Your “obey the rules” mentality is the slippery slope to serfdom,’ another person said, while another told Cr Elliot to ‘mind you’re own business’.

‘It’s exactly my business. I don’t want to see deaths, especially of a young child, from dangerous and illegal behaviour,’ the councillor said. 

‘If you never did things like this as a child then you didn’t have childhood,’ another argued. 

Cr Elliott hit out at those who played down the ‘illegal’ act. 

‘The number of people who have said there’s no issue proves how much more education needs to be done,’ she told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘There’s no problem until someone gets badly hurt or killed I don’t want that on my conscience.

‘Everyone makes mistakes and no one’s perfect but this is clearly dangerous and illegal.’

PMD users in Tasmania can ride up to 25km/h along bike lanes, shared paths and roads where the speed limit is no more than 50km/h. 

The speed limit on footpaths is 15km/hr and riders are not allowed to carry another person on the bike or an animal. 

Beam Mobility which hires out e-scooters in the City of Hobart agreed with Cr Elliot.

‘The photograph of the rider presented by Councillor Elliott is clearly in breach of two Tasmanian Government regulations,’ a Beam spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

‘[These] are also reflected in Beam’s terms and conditions of use: namely, riding with a passenger and not wearing a helmet.’

The spokesperson said Beam operates a strict ‘three-strikes’ policy for breaches of the riding rules. 

‘A first offence results in engagement with the rider by our team, and they are reminded of the correct behaviour,’ their statement said. 

‘A second offence results in a further reminder and advice a third offence will result in suspension of the rider’s account.

‘A third offence results in suspension.’

More serious offences, such as intoxicated and/or dangerous riding are dealt with on a case-by-case basis and may result in immediate suspension, the spokesperson added. 

‘We encourage members of the public to report instances such as these to Tasmanian Police and to Beam so that community safety is maintained,’ they said.

Tasmanian Police told Daily Mail Australia people are reminded to use e-scooters responsibly.