Councilor Louise Elliott urged a Hobart mother to ride e-scooters with a child across the street

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

The vision of the woman with the child on the purple electric scooter was captured Monday as they crossed the intersection of Liverpool Street and Barrack Street in Hobart.

Hobart Councilwoman Louise Elliott happened to film the couple with the device slowly crossing the street and posted it on social media.

“I’m for individual choices and responsibility, but that’s not cool.” “Actually, it’s so cool that there’s frost on the floor,” she said on social media.

“The roads were freezing and particularly dangerous, I don’t want to see that as acceptable.”

The woman with the child (pictured) on the purple electric scooter was photographed crossing the intersection of Liverpool Street and Barrack Street in Hobart on Monday

“I’ve watched them progress [I was too far away to say anything] and it looked like they’d definitely done it before.’

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

Then it seemed they lost control of the scooter a bit as the backpack was thrown back and forth, forcing the bike to maneuver towards the busy Liverpool Road.

Both were seen putting one foot on the ground to regain their balance before moving on.

“I was very worried about the little child…” [the e-scooters are] “It was heavy and difficult to maneuver and it was slippery,” said Cr Elliott.

“I just don’t want children to be hurt or killed or for the mother to have to pay a huge fine.”

Operating a personal mobility device (PMD), which includes e-scooters and e-skateboards, is highly regulated across the country and carries heavy fines.

The woman in the vision could face two fines of $135.75 under the Tassie Act for not wearing a properly fitting helmet and for riding a PMD with another person.

The post went viral on social media, sparking heated debate as some accused the city council of “crossing the line” and being an advocate of the “nanny state.”

“You crossed a line by posting your video… You don’t know your circumstances,” said one woman.

“It’s dangerous and illegal and I was concerned for the safety of both of them, especially the young child,” the councilman replied.

‘I [have] I’ve seen firsthand horrific and life changing injuries from these e-scooter rentals in Hobart.”

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

Cr Elliot told Daily Mail Australia that she would happily take criticism for being a “nanny”.

“I’d rather advise against dangerous behavior than say nothing,” she said.

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

“Maybe I’m worrying too much, but…given that these are rental e-scooters and are approved by the Hobart City Council, which I serve on, I felt compelled to speak up,” said she.

Meanwhile, another commentator agreed with Cr Elliott.

“It’s unsafe and illegal to ride the scooter like this.” “Dangerous for the child and mother, who are unrecognizable in the clip,” they said.

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

“Go, mom! “What a legend,” wrote one.

“Leave her alone… we all struggle with the cost of living,” said another.

“When you look back on the years when there were no seat belts or a cradle in the back seat of a car, that was all good enough.” .”

“I think the mother is in a position to make the safety call and it’s no good shaming her and her child on social media,” said one Tasmanian.

“Your ‘follow the rules’ mentality is the dangerous road to serfdom,” said another person, while another told Cr Elliot to “mind your business.”

“That’s my business.” “I don’t want dangerous and illegal behavior to result in deaths, especially among young children,” the councilman said.

“If you never did anything like that as a kid, then you didn’t have a childhood,” argued another.

Cr Elliott slammed those who downplayed the “illegal” act.

“The number of people who have said there is no problem shows how much more education needs to be done,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

“There is no problem until someone is seriously injured or killed. I don’t want that on my conscience.”

“Everyone makes mistakes and nobody is perfect, but this is clearly dangerous and illegal.”

PMD users can drive up to 25 km/h in Tasmania on cycle lanes, shared lanes and roads where the speed limit is no more than 50 km/h.

A speed limit of 15 km/h applies on footpaths and it is not permitted to take another person or an animal with you.

Beam Mobility, which rents out e-scooters in the city of Hobart, agreed with Cr Elliot.

“The photograph of the driver provided by Councilor Elliott clearly breaches two Tasmanian Government regulations,” a Beam spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

‘[These] are also reflected in Beam’s terms of service: namely, to ride with a passenger and not to wear a helmet.”

The spokesman said Beam applies a strict “three strikes” policy to violations of the driving rules.

“A first offense will result in our team addressing the driver and reminding them of the correct behavior,” the statement said.

Once they reach the pavement, the couple appear to lose control of the device, forcing the bike to maneuver towards the busy Liverpool Road (pictured).

Hobart City Councilwoman Louise Elliott (pictured) said she feared for the safety of the child and adult on the bike amid Hobart’s frosty morning streets that were “slippery”.

PMD users can drive up to 25 km/h in Tasmania on cycle lanes, shared lanes and roads where the speed limit is no more than 50 km/h

“A second violation will result in another warning and a third violation will result in the driver’s account being suspended.”

“A third offense will result in a suspension.”

More serious violations such as drunk and/or dangerous driving will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and may result in an immediate ban, the spokesman added.

“We encourage the public to report incidents like this to the Tasmanian Police and Beam to keep the community safe,” they said.

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