E-scooters could be legalised on UK roads if they pass safety tests… just months after TV presenter died in collision with lorry while riding one
- Although sales have soared they can at the moment be used only on private land
- Safety campaigners say they’re a risk to other road users and want them banned
- Hundreds of owners have been caught riding the scooters illegally on the road
Electric scooters could be legalised for road use if trials are successful, ministers will announce today.
Although sales have soared, the 30mph vehicles, which look similar to a child’s scooter and cost between £200 and £500, can at the moment be used only on private land.
Ministers have decided to act as hundreds of owners have been caught riding the battery-powered machines illegally on the road.
Safety campaigners say they are a risk to other road users and want them banned.
Electric scooters could be legalised for road use if trials are successful, ministers will announce today. Pictured: a man riding an electric scooter in Westminster, London
In July, TV presenter Emily Hartridge, 35, died in a collision with a lorry while using an e-scooter in Battersea, south-west London.
However, as part of a £90million scheme that will also see medical delivery by drone tested, the Department for Transport is to allow trials of the machines on roads in some parts of the country.
Officials will consult with local authorities and members of the public. It is likely that e-scooters will be limited to 16mph with a minimum age for riders, who must wear helmets and have insurance. Riding on the pavement will continue to be prohibited.
Ministers are also considering plans to hand powers to councils to prevent e-scooters from cluttering public spaces, and to place restrictions on where they can be parked.
In July, TV presenter Emily Hartridge, 35, (pictured) died in a collision with a lorry while using an e-scooter in Battersea, south-west London
The vehicles have caused problems in Paris, where numbers are fast approaching 40,000 and their huge popularity has led to scenes of landmarks surrounded by abandoned e-scooters.
Once rules for the UK have been decided, local authorities will be selected for full trials. Councils will contract e-scooter hire companies to provide vehicles on the streets as they are in some European cities.
Ministers are keen to explore the legalisation of e-scooters as part of the Government’s drive to reduce net-carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) has said that ‘we are on the cusp of a transport revolution’
They hope increasing numbers of commuters will ditch their cars and ‘scoot’ to work instead.
As well as e-scooters, officials are looking at reviewing regulations to make it easier for bus services to operate in a similar way to on-demand taxi and private hire services.
They have also announced plans to test self-driving car technology between Bristol Airport and Bath. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘We are on the cusp of a transport revolution.
‘Emerging technologies are ripping up the rulebook and changing the way people and goods move for ever. Our groundbreaking future of transport programme marks the biggest review of transport laws in a generation and will pave the way for exciting new transport technology to be tested, cementing the UK’s position as a world-leading innovator.’
The Government has not decided where the e-scooter testing will take place. The drone trials will involve ferrying supplies from clinics in the Isle of Wight to centres on the mainland.
The eventual aim is for drones to transport chemotherapy kits to patients to save time.