E-scooters On The Roads And Paths - Legal

Not a good idea at all in my opinion, when I heard it on the news yesterday I was like WTF!!

 

I don't think they are allowed on footpaths. Cycle paths and shared cycle/foot paths yes.

 

Private ones still aren't allowed, only ones from hire companies.
Not sure how you're supposed to tell the difference though...

 

Did a woman not get killed negotiating a roundabout on one some time back?

 

I see a potential ebay market for fake rental stickers.

I just see this as another obstacle for us bikers, drivers, truckers ect ect to avoid like the plague. Coz if you twat one we all know who will be to blame.

 

If you look at the dft consultation outcome document on the dft website, you'll see the following "During trials, e-scooters will continue to be classed as motor vehicles, meaning requirements to have insurance and the correct type of driving licence will continue to apply." After the trial this may change to be more like the electric cycles, but for now the rental company has to have them insured.

 

Was in California last year and these things are everywhere
Simple download of the app and you are away.
They were causing madness on the streets and lost count of the times that I saw police pull them over.
Looks like yet more work for the police and criminals will be able to use them to snatch items and disappear into places the police can’t chase them.
All done on the back of how environmentaly friendly they are rather than using cars.
No car driver is ever going to use one of these instead of a car.Great fun for the drunks and the ambulance chasers though.

 

Haha good luck with that. As i have posted before every prick on a bicycle cycles on footpaths, they don't give the slightest of fucks as to legality or not and they get irate when challenged. I have personally seen up close 3 different policemen this year doing the same! I tried to challenge one who cycled right past me but he refused to stop and engage in dialogue.
During the lockdown we have even more sweaty would be cyclists training all their kids to do the same.

 

Interesting thought there.
As you will need a licence provisional or full to ride/scoot one of these. If the plod pull you over and you are over the top on the breath test I guess you will lose you licence for a 12 month min.

 

Let’s not kid ourselves that these things are all nicely parked up. They don’t need docking stations. In USA they were just dumped everywhere. Some street corners we’re inundated with them.
Interesting article here how it hasn’t worked in Paris and other cities.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/12/scooters-bikes-urban-mobility-paris/

 

I hired one from Uber on holiday recently and found it great fun. Very easy to get to grips with. You could pick them up from wherever it had been left previously. I guess the only downside I could see was that they could be dumped almost anywhere when you had finished with it and it could cause an obstacle for the blind or people with wheelchairs or prams etc. Though there were some zones that you paid a high premium if you left them there.

Safety wise, I would say they are far safer than a bicycle as you cannot go nearly as fast. Personally I don’t subscribe to cycle helmets on bicycles let alone a 15 mph scooter. Your not going to die in a15 mph crash.

 

It’s currently only rental scooters and they aren’t allowed on pavements. They are tracked by GPS, so anyone hiring one and being involved in an incident will be easily traceable from their position and payment card.

 

They were all over Hamburg when I was there last year and Scandinavia. I think they look like fun. Over here in the Netherlands they could be used safely on the cycle paths away from all the other traffic. I certainly wouldn’t fancy riding one on the roads though.
I think countries/cities with extensive separate cycle paths like here and Germany they would be ideal and pretty harmless.

 

I saw a report on some in America... your details got off your phone payment, gps tracking. I think there’s an etiquette issue, someone before said about “every prick on a bicycle”... that’s the issue, not the well behaved and considerate, but the pricks controlling the vehicle (Like with every other form of transport... I have huge issue with modern tractors and reckless driving pricks)

 

Fall off at 15 mph or less, bang your temple on the corner of a doorstep or similar and you might well end up dead.

 

yes, and I could fall out of bed and bang my head on my slipper. But the likelihood is very small.

we had better start telling marathon runners to wear helmets as they are running at 13 mph.

I’m fed up with this namby pamby attitude.

 

Fookin ‘ell... 13 mph is bloody clicking on some for that distance!!! Didn’t realise they are that fast, really impressive

 

Moped muggings in London had come down pre-lockdown, unfortunately these e-scooters now may be become the weapon of choice for the chavvy youths!

 

But they are traced, why would they risk it?