A meeting was held at the Mosgiel RSA yesterday to address concerns raised by residents about the use of mobility scooters in the area.
Mosgiel community constable Senior Constable Karren Bye said she had been receiving complaints from pedestrians for some time.
She said she would approach the New Zealand Transport Agency to request registration plates for scooters to help address the problem.
''Part of the problem is identification,'' she said.
''We get complaints and a lot of the time it's a random person on a mobility scooter and we have no way of finding them.''
The meeting was attended by more than a dozen Mosgiel residents, both pedestrians and mobility scooter users, as well as Dunedin City Council community road safety adviser Deborah Palmer, Mobility Scooters Otago owner-operator Tony McCarthy and Sen Const Bye.
Mr McCarthy said mobility scooters had become bigger and faster and subsequently more dangerous.
''When they were first designed, they were to get people to the letter box.
''Now they're going further and faster.
''The top speed used to be 10kmh, but now some of the newer ones can go up to 15kmh or 18kmh.''
Mr McCarthy said some elderly people were given mobility scooters by family and often did not know how to use them properly or were not given a suitable scooter.
The main complaints of pedestrians were of mobility scooter drivers going too fast, not looking, and thinking they had the right of way.
Mobility scooter drivers complained of space issues, including parked cars and hedges encroaching on to the footpath.
Mr McCarthy said he was at a loss why the problem had become so big.
''I can't see why pedestrians and people on mobility scooters can't get along - I just can't understand it.''
Mosgiel resident and pedestrian Karen Ferguson said it was unacceptable mobility scooter drivers were able to use the vehicles without any testing.
''Drivers that are older have to go through regular testing - then why don't these people need to be monitored as to their capability?''
There is no warrant of fitness required for mobility scooters or their drivers.
There are 12 offences a mobility scooter driver can commit while using the vehicle and the fines range from $50 to $3000.
Another meeting over the issue will be held on August 26.
