London rental e-scooter trial

I believe that these scooters are very dangerous for both users and pedestrians. There should be some kind of legislation regarding their use. 

I heartily approve of micromobility and the need for alternatives to cars. I have cycled around London for 25 years and commuted 10+ miles each way to work.

E-scooters are a great idea but are dangerous in practice: in bike lanes they are too slow for bike traffic and brake at different times. I have been clipped, badly, twice and had to take evasive action on several occasions. There is a natural ‘flow’ to bikes and the scooters do not fit into this. Not helped by a recklessnes and lack of awareness that many renters display. Too many are rented by people who have no knowledge of traffic laws and many by kids who are too young to be using them.

in short: great idea, but dangerous to themselves and others. I would allow private users - they probably have better road sense and knowledge and are a great way of getting say commuters around town. 

They are sometimes quite dangerous with people on scooters coming up fast on the pavement behind you with no warning. Very scary.

like cyclists, many people on scooters take no account of trafffic lights, including when the lights are signalling it’s safe for pedestrians to cross.  I’ve seen people gong fast diagonally across five way junctions when some of the lights are just about to go orange to green.

They should not be ridden on pavements in central London boroughs ( K and C , Westminster are two I know very well as I live and work in both ). Pavements are already cluttered by bicycles not parked in approved bays and scooters are also abandoned at times . Westminster council have been notified and one can see on their website of if an abandoned bike / scooter has been reported . Pavements should be for pedestrians , people with pushchairs and mobility scooters. 

I think these scooters could be fun and a useful way to get around town​​, if there were more cycle lanes​ (and I am a cyclist and no, I don't mind)​, and ​if ​you addressed the following problems:
​Having tried them, I found them to be clunky, wobbly, slow, require​*​​ you to go through a lengthy​,​ eyewatering process scanning your driving licen​ce to be able to ​use them, they cut out whenever you go under a bridge because the GPS gets lost, and then it’s really hard to find a bay. 

​It's a shame, They could be useful and fun. ​Other cities where I've seen they're a success have more pedestrian/no motor vehicle areas, so it's safer. London isn't. Still.

​*​ which shows that most of the people here don't know what they're on about. 

Target audience: sorry. but surely that's going to be young people? But most of the ​youngsters already have one illegally, or can't afford to hire one or are too young to have a driving licence. So you've lost your target audience there. I rarely see anyone using rental scooters in town. And nobody over the age of 30 would be seen dead riding one. ​(Except me). 

Conversely, the ​e-​bikes are generally a success, and I see all​ ​sorts of people riding those – including me. It’s a shame that a minority dump them in the street and make the place look untidy​,​ but they are very useful.

PS. Most of the comments on here appear to be, and are likely to be, from nimby-types — curtain-twitching busybodies who don’t like cyclists, campaign for more motor vehicles, more roads and a return to polluting vehicles. They are the people who advocate licen​ces ​and numberplates ​for cyclists. They are likely to be climate sceptics, probably voted Brexit​, and are likely to enjoy a whinge on TripAdvisor​. They are precisely the people ​who ​will jump through hoops to have their say on surveys like this. So I’d be careful weighting the answers on this forum.
*lights fuse...

They are not legal for good reason and should be banned. Like e-bikes they tend to be dumped on the pavement which makes them a trip hazard for pedestrians. The e-scooters are ridden on pavements and the wrong way down one way streets. They are a menace. 
 

please ban them from London

These are dangerous wherever they come from.  They whiz around the pavement and I have regularly seen them left lying on the pavement.  I have nearly been knocked over by one.  They are not practical at all in a busy city.  They are too fast for cycle lanes and they arrogantly ride on pavements at considerable speed

Of all gorms of transport currently available in London,  electric scooters seem to be the most badly ridden/driven. Users continuously swap between riding them on the pavements or road, swerving around pedestrians and vehicles and having no regard at all for red lights, one way streets etc. They are much worse than bikes (powered or not) that are generally safely ridden or motor vehicles. And they are often left as clutter on our streets. 

I haven't consciously noticed any official rental scooters on the road on my travels in central London - and there are none available for hire in my local area. But the private ones hurtling along on the pavement can be seen all over the place and are obviously never stopped & warned or monitored in any way. The pavement is already no safe place to be a pedestrian with so many riders of bicycles & mobility scooters thinking they have priority - and e-scooters are yet another hazard. They all come way too close and whizz past way too fast. Nothing that uses the pavement should be manufactured to go faster than an average adult can run. There is a multitude of speed cameras across the city making a nice income for various authorities - try angling them on the pavements and get a look at the speeding that goes on there. If the private scooters being used on pavements are illegal, why aren't they being policed? Those I have seen using the roads must also be private as there are no lights on, no helmets worn, no tags. They must outnumber your rental scooters to such an extent I don't see how your trial can work. As a pedestrian I want the e-scooters banned from the pavements - but it seems they are illegal so why are they still there? What's the point of a rental trial when private illegal sales are obviously flourishing?

People ride them without care, on the pavements, may not be sober, and are completely irresponsible.  I don't think these should be legal in the current format - too few checks, or rules.

They fly down the cycle lane and pavement in Hammersmith faster than the cars and they’re dumped everywhere, it’s like an assault course with the scooters and the lime bikes… and there’s not even just one provider there seems to be hundreds, and they’re really heavy to move out the way, it must be really hard for disabled people or the elderly to get around.  I saw a Lime Bike in a tree, who the hell’s renting that?  Waste of lithium

From what I have experienced so far, those who ride rental e-scooters are to a large part under the age of 18. Dangerous driving included. E-scooters are mostly chucked away all over pavements or even across bike lanes (which is a particular hazard).

Dangerous to pedestrians.  Abominable clutter on pavements.  

I think that e-scooters are not only dangerous for those riding them but they are placing pedestrians at immense risk.

I have seen too often young people riding the scooters on the pavement, weaving in and out of pedestrians, and also riding in the middle of the road. 

Surely, the money spent on this scheme would be better spent on other TfL projects, for example, ensuring the safety of travellers and transport staff, making all tube stations accessible to people with disabilities and people travelling with young children or heavy luggage.

Thank you! 

i think they are dangerous and just look untidy on the street, every time I walk past the one at the end of my road, the scooters are dirty

 and usually knocked off, the companies do not spend enough time on the upkeep in relation to the quantity that is available - are they ever cleaned? they are an absolute eyesore, unlike Lime bikes which I love to ride, they are dotted around, so you don't see a cluster of knocked-over, dirty scooters, never neatly lined up but generally just thrown in space.

They dart in and out of traffic, never wear a helmet and most look way to young to be riding them, they are a nuisance and as far as I'm concerned, INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS...London streets are way too busy with lorries, buses, taxis etc to have little scooters piddling along, better in more rural spaces.

At least bikes are easily seen they are bigger, and most people like myself wear a helmet when I use them.

Get rid of them!!! Put the money into making public transport cheaper and better!!! These are absolute nonsense and there are far more important things Sadiq needs to be worrying about.

1. Electric scooters are dangerous: difficult to steer; dangerous to brake; easy to fall off.

2. Private e-scooters are illegal BUT users are rarely stopped or prosecuted. Their sale must be banned and retailers flouting the rules heavily fined. Users caught in possession of an e-scooter should have the scooter confiscated and crushed.

3. Many users (hire and private) are under age but, again, not stopped or prosecuted. It is pointless having 'rules' if they are not enforced.

4. Most scooters seem to be ridden on the pavement. 

5. Allowing rented e-scooters just adds to the confusion as to whether e-scooters are legal or not. Stop all e-scooter rentals now.

Scooters (and bikes) endanger pedestrians and drivers in the road and hold up traffic. 

Non-rentals should be stopped from being sold  

Pavement riding should be banned and enforced

Scooters should be speed-limited before being sold. 

It's just a disgusting scheme, fuelled by greed 

Transport for London state on their page on electric scooters the following:

• Driving a motor vehicle with no insurance - you could be liable for a fixed penalty of £300 and six points on your driving licence
• Driving vehicles on pavements is generally an offence - this applies at all times to all types of e-scooters and powered transporters
• Riders must be 18 or over and have a full or provisional driving licence to rent an e-scooter

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/electric-scooter-rental-trial

Does this mean that individuals renting an e-scooter must have motor insurance?

One of the key problems with e-scooters is users will use them on pavements probably because they feel unsafe on the roads. This is clearly a danger to pedestrians. London should ideally have more bike lanes for this purpose. I for one would not feel safe using an e-scooter in the current conditions.