New rules to crack down on e-scooter 'cowboys' in Queensland

Queensland is cracking down on e-scooter "cowboys", in changes backed by the industry.

Speeds have been reduced and parking will soon be regulated but some loopholes remain open.

"Those sort-of cowboys in the e-scooter community, we want to sort them out," Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said.

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Under the new rules the maximum speed on footpaths will drop by half, down to 12km/h.

Wheelchair user Elisha Matthews told 9News she and others with disabilities feel unsafe on footpaths.

"I've had some very close misses," she said.

"I've got a lot of friends who have impacts and injuries."

E-scooters will also now be allowed on more bike routes, hopefully taking the pressure off pedestrians.

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But e-scooter riders on footpaths remain classed as pedestrians.

Authorities are working to close that and other loopholes that remain.

E-scooter hire companies such as Beam and Neuron welcomed the changes, as did Scooter Squad, a community group of e-scooter users, agrees.

But the group also called for education.

"So that not only they feel safe, but pedestrians feel safe as well," spokesperson Valiant Sinclair said.