Alternate to an E-Scooter? NSW

hasher22 on 13/02/2021 - 11:59
Last edited 13/02/2021 - 16:26

Hey guys,

I landed a job (but pays ok) and things are going very well and I am forecasting moving closer to a train station that is only 1 train line to work. I am in the early research phase at the moment.

Currently:

  1. I need to drive to flemmington station, find parking, take 2 trains to North Sydney. First stop is Strathfield then switching trains to North Sydney.

  2. I am looking for a rental place to live around train stations (whether its around Strathfield or North Sydney or Chatswood etc) that only incurs 1 train to North Sydney or rental place around North Sydney.

I am not too keen moving further out west, I lived in Blacktown and commute is just so depressing.

Thing is I can't drive to work cause the cost will be so expensive and need to pay for parking. Not worth it at all. Also, I injured my knee at the gym, it sucks and I can walk for no more than 5-10 minutes with it progressively becoming sore and sharp pains happening. So I always try to apply pressure on my other leg.

My thought process is I get an E-scooter and get a place little but further from work or a train station and E-scoot to the destination but e-scooters are banned in public areas in NSW, only private property. But I've seen people use e-scooters in public, but I don't want to get fined. Even though I will only E-scoot from the station and home, as work is within 5 minutes walking distance from North Sydney station? Is it worth the risk?

Maybe if I rent a place around work, I can buy a vespa, as there's a free area in North Sydney to park motorbikes and Vespas but usually its damn full

Other alternatives?

Travel

Comments

  • Peter Enis on 13/02/2021 - 12:07
    +2

    Bicycle?

    • hasher22 on 13/02/2021 - 12:10

      I did think of a Bicycle, I think I need to research which train station have Bicycle lockers?

      I am sure locking it with key and chain is fine?

      Thing is, I don't know if my injured knee can apply pedal pressure

      • Peter Enis on 13/02/2021 - 12:14

        If you are parking it at the station just buy a cheapie bike off Gumtree and lock it to a pole/fence near the station

        • Catullus on 21/02/2021 - 13:01

          And put the chain around the WHOLE bike, not just the front wheel!
          Grandson came back to his bike,locked, yes, just the front wheel hanging on the pole. Sad.

      • Transient on 13/02/2021 - 12:18
        +2

        Congrats on the job! E-bike or if you already have a motorcycle riders licence then a used scooter or m/bike?

      • nikey2k27 on 13/02/2021 - 13:36
        +1

        E bike my man i have lady in 80s major knee problem she ride 30km around town no e bike for her.

        • bargainbrats on 14/02/2021 - 08:10
          -2

          Its more so in nsw they are illegal so he didn’t want to cop a fine …but i would just risk it

        • Luckyalways on 14/02/2021 - 10:38

          That's interesting. What's her knee problem nikey? And what bike does she ride?( I ask cos I have major knee problems and have yet to find a bike ride that doesn't aggravate them.) Ta

    • zde723 on 14/02/2021 - 18:45

      You can get away with riding an electric scooter easily.

  • Catullus on 13/02/2021 - 12:11
    +2

    Can you ride a bicycle, with your damaged leg? or a kick bike, or an electric bike? Folding one?

    • hasher22 on 13/02/2021 - 12:13

      This is what I thought of first with a bicycle, if my injured knee can apply pedal pressure. I will go to the gym and go on the bike machine and test it.

      I haven't ridden a bike in over 10 years! lol, from memory, a mountain bike with different gears to make peddling easier is good right? Not a BMX bike?

      • SnoozeAndLose on 13/02/2021 - 16:27

        Ebike not need to peddle as all. Ask the rider doing food delivery in the CBD

  • WreckTangle on 13/02/2021 - 12:27
    +1

    What suburb you in at the moment? Maybe we can all work out the best way for you to get to North Sydney in the meantime

    • kerfuffle on 13/02/2021 - 12:50
      +2

      I'd say somewhere between Parramatta and Homebush, or perhaps north of Strathfield as they said the first stop is Strathfield. As the OP has to change trains at Strathfield, it's safe to say that they don't live in Parra where there's a direct train to North Sydney.

    • hasher22 on 13/02/2021 - 16:16
      +2

      I live in homebush, but I drive to Flemmington station because there's usually parking and approx 3-4 minutes walk to the station. On the train home from North Sydney, there's more trains from strathfield to flemmington. That's why I choose to park there.

      There's no parking in strathfield and parking 3,4,5 streets away is not worth it.

      • SnoozeAndLose on 13/02/2021 - 16:25

        Kick scooter? I normally walk from Homebush to Strathfield and time ye you drive , park , walk and wait for the train is the same

  • holdenmg on 13/02/2021 - 12:56

    Is rideshare between home and work an alternative?

    • kerfuffle on 13/02/2021 - 12:56

      It's at least a 20km journey and traffic will be shit

      • holdenmg on 13/02/2021 - 13:09

        Parra River to Circular Quay ferry.
        How long does that take?
        Then a Train to North Sydney?

        • kerfuffle on 13/02/2021 - 13:10

          OP doesn't sound like they live near a ferry wharf. Nor do trains go to North Sydney from Circular Quay.

          The ferry takes an hour from Parramatta Wharf to Circular Quay Wharf …

          • holdenmg on 13/02/2021 - 13:12

            @kerfuffle: My bad.
            I think OP needs to move closer to work.
            (or have work move near to where they live now). lol

            • hasher22 on 13/02/2021 - 16:24

              @holdenmg: I have two options in my head now:
              1 - I move closer to work and find a rental property around the area, North Sydney, St leonards, Chatswood etc…… But I will paying a poop tons of rent
              2 - I move around a train station like strathfield with reasonable bike/manual scooter/other transport (other than car) distance

              • kerfuffle on 13/02/2021 - 18:25

                @hasher22: What’s wrong with the current option i.e. driving to Flemington Station and catching two trains?

                • hasher22 on 14/02/2021 - 17:59

                  @kerfuffle: Commute, looking for parking, power walking from platform 7 to 4 (which (profanity) up my knee more). If I lived near 1 train line and got some type of manual transport, e-bike for example, I can cut some worries such as finding parking, 1 train line, I could maybe get a seat on the train etc…… a lot of problems will be eliminated

          • hasher22 on 13/02/2021 - 16:24

            @kerfuffle: I live in Homebush, currently drive to flemmington station

  • jjjaar on 13/02/2021 - 13:26

    If you can cycle, a folding bike would be great because you can keep it with you all the time (useful if you end up biking to work but going out for a few drinks and Ubering home), if not then an ebike will provide you with the same benefits as an escooter (albeit much larger), so you’ll be able to get around all the same but it’ll just be less portable.

    If you have the money - a foldable ebike

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 13/02/2021 - 13:53
    +1

    I'm one of those people that seems to get knee problems (though I could stretch, massage and rest more often) and I didn't find cycling every day was helping me at all. Apparently cycling often causes knee pain with high mileage and "bad fit". Considering humans aren't machines I don't think achieving even a a near perfect fit is possible for everyone. And don't get me started on how it can cause back pain.

    5 minutes on an eBike might be fine. But my bike breaking was the best thing to happen for my lower body pain. Shame you can't swim to work.

    • holdenmg on 13/02/2021 - 14:02

      Jet ski?

    • Luckyalways on 14/02/2021 - 10:42
      +1

      I'm someone who has major knee problems and have always found cycling to aggravate my knee pain. Similar with swimming.

  • Agarwal on 13/02/2021 - 14:45
    +2

    Would your knee hold up to a Pogo Stick?

  • Drakesy on 13/02/2021 - 16:10

    e-skateboard?

    But yeah, second the bicycle idea.

  • Quantumcat on 13/02/2021 - 16:14

    What about a normal adult (non-e) scooter?

  • pharkurnell on 13/02/2021 - 16:55

    What about a motorbike scooter ?

    • hasher22 on 14/02/2021 - 18:00

      Like a vespa? I did consider that if I moved around North Sydney

      • pharkurnell on 14/02/2021 - 20:10

        Or Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, etc

  • leiiv on 14/02/2021 - 01:06

    So in NSW, escooter is illegal but ebike is legal?

    • kiitos on 14/02/2021 - 08:34

      Yes

  • tabitha731 on 14/02/2021 - 07:40

    How about just driving to Strathfield, where theres more parking earlier in the morning and 1 train to the north side. If u cant get parking at Strathfield.. perhaps catch a bus to the train station like a lot of people do, and the train it to work.

    There are also plenty of share houses to move into in Strathfield area. So that might be an option for u to thunk about.

    • Luckyalways on 14/02/2021 - 10:43

      I was going to suggest something similar to tabitha. This might be the best option.

  • batfastard on 14/02/2021 - 08:31

    Hayabusa

    You know it makes sense.

    • hasher22 on 14/02/2021 - 18:01

      lol, im not that cool :( and I'm terrified of riding one. A vespa is my limit for motor vehicle with 2 wheels

      • batfastard on 18/02/2021 - 13:38

        If you survive the first 10 years, you'll be ok.

        Unless you aren't.

        ;-)

  • b0rnwithabeard on 14/02/2021 - 09:13
    +1

    go all out and buy a Penny Farthing

    • hasher22 on 14/02/2021 - 18:01

      haha had to google that, that is crazy!

  • dimitryp on 14/02/2021 - 11:14

    i've ridden an eScooter around Sydney for the last year (inner west & CBD), and sometimes past cops, and never been stopped.
    Cant say how you'd fare, but that's my experience.
    Another thing i'd say, you have to be wary of the power of your scooter. Some, like mine, arent very powerful, and cant get up even a moderate hill, which means you have to help it by kicking. That's not a problem for me, but would likely be a problem for your injured knee.
    Some eScooters are much more powerful and will do fine up a hill. They tend to be the big bulky ones though, which would be a hassle to try to take on the train.

    • hasher22 on 14/02/2021 - 18:02

      Yes, I was thinking of just a non-powerful one is fine with me. But I will have to research when/if I do move, to see if there are hills as obstacles.

  • artxty on 14/02/2021 - 15:17
    -1

    Electric Scooter Laws NSW

    It is currently prohibited to ride an escooter in Sydney or anywhere in NSW on a road.

    It does not say it's prohibited to ride it on the footpath.

    I have a e-micro scooter, I use it uphill with no problems, and I only use it on the footpath coming from train station to work vice versa.

    Is it not possible for OP to use the escooter in the footpath?

    • hasher22 on 14/02/2021 - 18:03

      I was in the city today, and I saw 2 people on e-scooters on the footpath. I've also seen people in inner and south suburbs on e-scooters on footpaths.

      I thought they were banned in public spaces and only to use in private property, cause I thought those people may know the law regulations and chose to ignore them and got an e-scooter … if it's 100% fine on foot paths, I am happy to get one.

      • pharkurnell on 14/02/2021 - 20:11
        +1

        Because you saw people using them doesnt mean its legal :)
        thousands break the law daily speeding alone

  • 8azinga on 27/02/2021 - 15:26

    Electric scooters won't be approved any time soon in NSW https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/travel/escooter-tri…

    • hasher22 on 27/02/2021 - 15:29

      It's sad.

      Now in the article, they are comparing companies that enables people to hire e-scooters and people litter them and leave them everywhere. Now I understand this and I would ban companies for the public to hire scooters.

      But I am for people buying their own private e-scooter. Now it will be interesting to see how many people actually want a personal $600+ escooter vs hiring one from the road

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