E-Scooters Will Be Allowed On Roads From Saturday
In the News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53219331
Rental e-scooters are expected to become legal on UK roads from Saturday, in a bid to ease pressure on public transport amid the coronavirus crisis.
On roads? And helmets not mandatory? They do say accidents happen...
I already see a lot of people using them in central London. I can envisage potential problems if a lot more people start to use them. I've been passed from behind a number of times by e-Scooters while walking on the pavement. They are close to silent, so I didn't know they were there/approaching until they went past. It's likely we'll start to hear about collisions with pedestrians, cyclists, cars and lorries. Riders are not likely to be insured, so what will happen if they damage a vehicle or other property.
yes they’re definitely growing in popularity, and they’re fun, as well as easier to transport, so I can see the appeal. Unfortunately it’s always the ones who ride inconsiderately that will cause problems
I've seen them a lot in London, and most people do wear a helmet which I would recommend. I've tried the scooters abroad in Budapest where they're already legal, and they're a great way to get around. Just like riding a bicycle in terms of speed and ease. As long as you follow the road / cycling rules and respect pedestrians (i.e. don't use on the pavements with people) it can be fab.
Yes they’re definitely considered the transport of the future, and hopefully the cycle highways are expanded so there’s more room for them in London. I’ve never liked riding my bike in the busiest parts of London, so I doubt I’d feel safe on an escooter
If they not going on the footpath there is no problem. I saw one guy he hardly could go around us with one of these and he did not stop...
One of the other problems is if they don’t stop at the lights. There’s been so many accidents with bike riders who can’t be bothered to stop at a red light because they can sneak through...it’ll get the same for scooter riders
AgnesFaludi that’s terrible. There’s too many inconsiderate riders about. Glad you’re ok
Two teen "idiots" ride e-scooters along a dual carriageway in the Tees Valley area - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-53447777
Someone may as well start a thread on e-scooter incidents as there is likely to be many 
Yep. Most I’ve seen are just zooming around and often too close to others. Accidents are going to happen
I posted an E Scooter deal last week , as I said on that post they are great if ridden responsibly .
However what is the chance of that ? We have a significant minority of terminal idiots in our midst who will injure themselves and others , thinking they are "cool" !
I live in a market town and would love to get one , but knowing my luck I would be stopped by the Police and gain points on my clean licence . Round here people cycle correctly but sadly in the cities cyclists rush around like madmen /women ignoring other road users and traffic lights .
Its a sad fact of life that the pleasure, safety and convenience of the sensible majority is spoilt by a significant minority of "Pond Life" .
Very true. Here in London it has become the norm to see such instances. We have loads of pool bikes that are sadly often vandalised or used to do ****** and grabs, so the fate of the escooter rental scheme doesn’t seem promising
'E-scooter trial put on hold in Coventry five days after rollout' - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-54164922
It was stopped due to people riding on the pavement and going the wrong way. Although, surely that must have been anticipated given that cyclists have been doing that for years.
Yes you’d think so. In London the scooter riders are everywhere, often sneaking up from behind and barking at people to move out the way.
I'd love to have one of those scooters. It's a shame that the few inconsiderate scooter users have to ruin it for others.
They’re terrible. Mind you, I’ve seen a few who have had to use the scooters the traditional way after using up too much power. It’s like it’s too much work for them
They are cool, but unfortunately, like with most things in life, you get a few rogue riders who ruin it for everyone else
I think it’s a great way to get around but there will have to be rules ... unfortunately as others have said it’ll be a silly few that will cause issues for the majority 
I've seen them around this week increasingly.. they are red in colour and it seems like they are everywhere ! The scooter's look super cool and fast but I can imagine it getting manic if we all decided to have one 
On page 5 of today's Metro newspaper there is a piece about e-scooters. During the trials they have caused 210 injuries and led to 1,100 complaints. There are reports of them being linked to dangerous driving and anti-social behavior - 122 people have been banned from using them so far. They have also been used for criminal activity, including burglary and assaults. These figures will likely get a lot worse when a year long e-scooter trial starts in London next month. Although, I already see people using them on roads and pavements every day. They are not currently legally allowed to ride them in public areas.
There is a program about them on ITV tomorrow (Thursday) at 7.30pm -
E-Scooters: Britain's New Road Rage?
Trials of legal, rentable e-scooters have been accelerated because of the pandemic, but are they really the green, clean machines the industry says they are? Chris Choi addresses new figures revealing the extent of injuries, collisions and anti-social behaviour associated with the vehicles
Thanks that sounds interesting, I will try and watch, I fancy one to get to the next village but doubt it will ever happen
I take it they will be required to pay road tax, the same as anyone else, or at least be required to register somewhere? It's very reckless that helmets aren't compulsory.
There is no road tax to pay for bicycles or scooters unless they are electrically powered and go over 250W nominal power and are registered as mopeds/scooters etc.
If vehicles were taxed by how much wear and tear they do to roads then it would be something like;
5p bicycles
£5 cars
£5000 HGV's and buses.
I've probably remembered the scale wrongly but it was something like that basically HGV's and buses do almost all the wear and tear and damage to roads. Sadly though the wear rate is increasing as SUV's and electric vehicles tend to be heavier than older style cars and electric HGV's and buses are also much heavier. Not that you see electric HGV's so much but there are quite a few electric buses about.
If you want to do the minimal amount of wear to the road use a fat bike. They spread out the relatively low weight of a bicycle and rider across a greater amount of surface.
BonzoBanana I wouldn't the road tax so much if was £5 
and yes, lorries should be taxed more than they are now. 
tumblespots The e-scooters in the London trial have to be rented from 3 companies that have been chosen by TfL and London Councils. The operators in the trial are required to provide motor insurance for the e-scooters. To start with the trial will only be taking place a limited number of boroughs, such as Canary Wharf and the City of London, but this is likely to expand during the year - https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2021/may/tfl-and-london-councils-announce-london-s-e-scooter-trial-will-begin-in-june
E-scooters have been a common sight on London streets for a few years, but it's currently illegal to ride them on public land. People with their own e-scooters are not part of the trial.
The rented e-scooters can just be left anywhere. Last month more than a hundred of them were left in a residential street in Bristol - https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/more-100-e-scooters-parked-5341755
I have mixed feelings. If used correctly these are a great way to get around but then you always get the idiots!
We have them here in our town. They go well and fast. However I believe you should have a helmet and insurance.
The trial seems to be going ok at the moment so I believe.
But if to many have them I can see it being a problem if they all go on the roads.
This is a link to an ITV program on e-scooters (24 minutes, available for 29 days). To rent an e-scooter you need to hold a full or provisional driving licence with a category Q entitlement. You can also get 6 points on your licence for misuse - https://www.itv.com/hub/tonight/1a9757a0114
It's predicted e-scooters will be involved in 'up to 200,000 accidents' by the end of this year. The Royal Parks charity, which look after some of London's best known green spaces, have also banned them from their parks due to safety concerns. This and all the other reported problems are likely going to concern the companies taking part in the e-scooter trials.
They’re annoying
One of my neighbours have one but been altered so the dude thinks he a motorbike racer
Omg the increased use scares me knowing there are so many inconsiderate people. I have a young child and something like this happening is terrifying
I already see loads of people with their e scooters on the roads. Does look like fun though.
Used them recently in Portsmouth, you just hire them on the streets and drop them off at the drop off points. I believe they were insured but no helmets avaible and it was a bit nervy riding them on the roads especially when you have to go into an outside lane to turn right or go around a roundabout, didn't feel safe really.
It makes me nervous when i see two people on one scooter wobbling all over the place and without helmets, when more people are using them in the future i can see more disasters happening
Scooters are everywhere where I live, on the roads, pavements. They can be a bit of a nuisance.
Despite almost daily negative stories about e-scooters appearing around the country. Plus, the seizure of 3,000 illegally used e-scooters by police in England during the first six months of 2021. It appears increasingly likely E-scooter will be allowed on UK roads after the end of the current trials happening around the country. The primary reasoning for this decision will be placed on getting more cars off the road. It will be combined with a hollow commitment to “encourage safe ridership”. As with cyclists, the promotion of safe ridership isn't going to followed by a large number of people.
I've seen how fast those things are, but would I do it? Hell no. It's bad enough there are cyclists.
As a deaf person I find these E scooters quiet annoying when the ride passed you as you don't see them till they have either knocked you over or flew passed you shouting abuse it not my fault I'm deaf
I just find it interesting that these have been introduced in other countries and they work well and are popular but over here its such a problem.
They have had rental ones near me for some time. I hate them as a pedestrian and also a driver. I have seen very few people following the rules and they seem to dart everywhere.
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