LOOK OUT! E-SCOOTERS COULD SOON BE
In conjunction with our feature in this edition about the appear- ance of pop-up cycle lanes and widened pavements, we thought it might be a good idea to also mention the trials of electric scooters that are taking place all over the country – with a cautionary note to our licensed drivers as to the emergence of these silent but potentially lethal machines on our roads.
With a view to enabling more people - having been advised to avoid public transport - to get to where they’re going under social distanc- ing during the current Covid-19 pandemic, the government has brought forward its trial programme of rental e-scooters from 2021 to this July. They’ve also extended the areas in which these rental e- scooters are to be trialled. This is the current list issued by the DfT:-
• Tees Valley Combined Authority (Darlington, Hartlepool, Mid- dlesbrough – first to kick off with the trial - Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees Councils)
• Milton Keynes Council • Northamptonshire (Boroughs of Kettering and Northampton, and Parish of Grange Park)
• West Midlands Combined Authority (Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell, Solihull and Kenilworth) • Greater Norwich
And of course London is also included in the trialling scheme; from 14 July the City of London Corporation – the Square Mile’s local council – agreed in principle to having a rental scheme whereby it became lawful to rent a road-legal e-scooter in that specific dis- trict of the capital.
It is expected that DfT and TfL guidance will include identifiers and speed limiters on the e-scooters, a limit of three operators in any given area and the ability for local authorities to impose no-go and go-slow areas.
City Corporation officers will also seek to ensure a variety of addi- tional safety and public comfort measures including:
• Designated parking bays for e-scooters • Strong encouragement or mandating of helmet use for riders • Visible and unique registration numbers on the vehicles • Ensuring scheme operators have sufficient insurance
This of course raises the issue of exactly where in the categorising scheme of things these e-scooters fall. This is relevant to all taxi/PHV drivers, as you’re going to have to keep a lookout for these little gizmos… whether they’re legal or not.
Technically they fall under the category of “Personalised Light Elec- tric Vehicles” (PLEV): they’re classed as “powered transporters” by the government, and are governed by the same laws and regula- tions that apply to all motor vehicles – thus making their use on pavements, cycle lanes (in the past, for privately owned machines) and pedestrian-only areas illegal. Their use on public roads would only be legal if e-scooters could meet the same requirements as motor vehicles, eg. MoT, insurance, road tax, licence, signalling abil- ity, number plates, registration – which they currently do not. Under the rental scheme, riders would not have to take out their own insurance but would need a full or provisional DVLA licence.
So here we go again: the needle’s stuck once more on the subject of funding, and of guidance. Lack of both, as pertains to our indus- try of course… that’s been our soapbox all summer, ever since lockdown and relaxation. But the DfT has allocated the lion’s share of some £90million to the establishment of these rental e-scooter
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schemes. (To be fair, some of that money will be devoted to “low- carbon deliveries by drone”… another thorn in the side of many a White Van Man.)
The DfT has issued two guidance documents pertaining to these e-scooter trials: one for users, and one for local areas and rental operators. You’ll find those on the
GOV.UK website. It’s as well, because the emphasis in both these documents is that ONLY e-scooters rented out under the scheme will be legal to use on UK roads. Privately purchased e-scooters are still illegal for use any- where except on private land.
This is where the confusion sets in: apart from an orange or green band on the rental products, who would know whether an e-scoot- er is rented or belongs to the users? - especially as most people are dodging to get out of their way. But never mind: Transport Secre- tary Grant Shapps stated that this particular scheme (including the delivery drones) is “likely to bring about a transport revolution which changes the way people and goods move forever”.
TAKE YOUR REALITY PILL NOW
To be honest, the concept of whizzing around on one of these e-scooters sounds like fun, it’s ecologically sound, and relatively inexpensive. But it’s also extremely dangerous, not only to the rid- ers but also road users and pedestrians.
Wait a minute: pedestrians? E-users are not supposed to be riding these things on the pavement. Go tell it to the pedestrians in Birm- ingham and Coventry city centre, where collisions and near-misses were reported from day one of the trials, and deserted e-scooters were left all over the walkways. In fact the Coventry trial was called off after only five days’ duration, whilst the council re-evaluated the situation.
The scooter supplier in the West Midlands trial, Swedish company Voi, blamed “the UK’s antisocial behaviour issue”, stating that 45 major cities in the US and ten European countries have not had these problems. The intention is to put five-digit number plates on the rental machines so that CCTV images can pick up the bad guys.
Whatever the cause, some new restrictions are going to have to be brought in because it is clear from press reports that we’re head- ing for a “car crash” (pardon the expression) with this scheme. They’re talking seriously about fitting number plates on the
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