Councillors discussed a report last week on potentially banning the devices in the central business district, with the recommendation from senior staff encouraging council to try diversionary measures first.

Director of Cultural and Community Services, Alan Cattermole, said a total ban was unlikely to work.

"Research undertaken by council indicates that introducing a ban on scooters and skateboards is unlikely to resolve the current issue of misbehaviour in the CBD," he said.

"It is recommended that council consider supporting the implementation of a diversionary strategy or program to target current behavioural issues which relate to the misuse of scooters and skateboards."

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Councillor Jacqui Rudge, who made it clear in December she was against banning the devices, was the first to say she agreed with the diversionary strategy.

"At no time was I considering banning at any point, because I felt that research with key groups and stakeholders would come back with alternative solutions, and I've read the report and I believe it has," she said.

"Let's give the diversional strategies a little bit of a go, rather than slapping a ban on. It makes sense to take this route."

A similar view was taken by deputy mayor Ian North and councillors Warren Aubin, Jess Jennings and Monica Morse, who felt a total ban was the wrong way to go.

"You can actually have these devices and they can actually be very good, very effective means of local transport," Cr Jennings said.

Cr Morse said "there are hazards everywhere" and "we all have to be careful" when using footpaths.

Cr Alex Christian, on the other hand, thought council would be leaving members of the community open to injury or worse.

"This whole report is just focused on children, where my concerns come with the actual devices themselves being used in our busiest area of our CBD," he said.

"You've got trucks, buses, taxis, cars, pedestrians, you've got undercover car parks, people going everywhere; I don't think it's appropriate for people to be on scooters or skateboards, whizzing around our CBD.

"It only takes one old lady to get knocked over, receive a busted hip, potentially die six months later, for us to think, 'Oh, maybe we should have done something'. I don't know, maybe people don't care, unless it's their mother or their grandmother, maybe it's only then that people are concerned."

Council ultimately took on board Mr Cattermole's recommendations, resolving to further investigate the implementation of a diversionary strategy or program, including facilitating a meeting with key stakeholders.

Another report will come back to council at a later date.

If council was to ever introduce a ban, it would only apply to skateboards and two or three wheel recreational scooters, not mobility scooters.