I am a 70-year-old active and healthy woman. This week my life was literally turned on its head when an undisciplined 7-year-old boy on a bike ploughed into me from behind and sent me flying face first onto a concrete path. The impact resulted in damage to my face, hand and leg. Subsequent ambulance, A&E, CT scan, X/ray etc results showed a relatively lucky escape with lacerations, severe bruising to my face, ongoing headaches and nausea (plus unquantifiable pain and suffering). I am left shaken and angry. There is no re-dress.

E-bikes and e-scooters present the same risks, as I found out when an e-scooter rider in the CBD once clipped my arm as he sped past on the footpath. Tauranga city is in the midst of a 12 month trial approved by the Tauranga City Council in the use of e-scooters sharing footpaths with pedestrians.

There are four months yet to run on this trial. Where are the risk assessments about this decision?

The question is, how to prevent this from happening again?

Suggestions:

1. All pedestrians wear helmets on combination paths.

2. Age limit for kids cycling in these areas.

3. Warning bells everywhere.

Of course not. None of the above would mitigate the ongoing risk to all users of combined scooter/cycle/walking paths.

Nothing will change until we have separate pathways. Higher funding is needed, but how can we balance monetary costs against the cost of human pain, suffering and even possibly death.

New Zealand is short on cash. We need to strike oil somewhere!

Chris Killey, Tauranga South (abridged).