London rental e-scooter trial

As is usual parameters have been set which everybody is ignoring.

Retailers are wantonly selling them . Illegal ownership is not being managed by anybody the police are not interested its too petty for them. Iwas behind a police car at traffic lights and an e-scooter drew up alongside them they didn't talk to him

I live in Greenwich Borough and see dozens of unbranded e scooters daily Greenwich is not a test area. Mostly on the pavements many by youngsters too young to drive one with 2 on the e scooter

Please follow paris put it to a vote and get rid of them they are a danger to pedestrians, motorists and themselves

E-scooters are fine in theory and should help the environment, but have been very bad in practice. Many riders are clearly under age and the rules that are supposed to apply are not enforced. The only enforcement I am aware of is if there is an accident - which is obviously too late to prevent harm.  Most riders seem to think the rules of the road do not apply to them. Jumping red lights and ignoring people on zebra crossings is extremely common.  The presence of legal e-scooters encourages the use of illegal ones, which is a further problem.  This is clearly a case where technology has come in advance of properly thoughtout regulation and education.  However, without enforcement of any rules we are fighting a loosing battle and then the only solution will be a total ban - as has been voted for in Paris.  That would be a shame as they should have a place in the transport system, but as their introduction has been so badly mismanaged that may not now be a possibility.

I would be interested to know if bicycles had the same baptism of fire when they hit the highways in the 19th Century!  And now they're an acceptable mode of transport and much infrastructure is in place to support their use.  These scooters are here to stay I think so we need to learn to work with them constructively.  There is not much more for me to add to all the comments but I think we all agree that being ridden irresponsibly (like bikes and cars alike) is an annoyance to all of us, never mind the safety concerns.  Better policing is unlikely to happen, more respect/manners from users is also unlikely to happen so regulation of access and ability to identify inconsiderate users needs to be improved.  A registration plate of some kind and some form of E-ID linked to driving licence is required to discourage bad behaviour.  People have died through using these scooters so it's surely time.

I strongly agree that we need greener solutions to our transport problems and e-scooters are a great idea in principal when used correctly and this is something I have observed regularly by responsible road users. Sadly they are also being used by children and people who don't adhere to road rules leaving many people feeling unsafe or being hurt.

For example, Lime scooters are widely available with no regulation. Daily,  I see them parked in front of shop doors, lying across pavements and in other inconvenient areas which make it even hard for people with disabilities as well as the general public. I'm aware you can report these scooters online but it's not the job of the general public to photograph and send the details to the company that operates them. The operating companies need to take full responsibilty of this. Lime bikes in my area are always being pinched and used for anti-social behaviour, you can hear the clicking sound they make when they have been stolen. This is unfair on the rest of the public.

My concern is that if we have these scooters then who will regulate them? the companies cannot enforce traffic violation penalties and the police are too busy with other things. Why can't we have more buses for a start, more routes are closing down and this could help reduce the need for cars, albeit just a little.  Why not have a referendum? or come up with tighter regulation.

They shouldn't be allowed and definitely not on the pavements. They're dangerous for pedestrians particularly the elderly and disabled especially visually impaired. 

E-scooters are fine in theory but bad in practice. Many riders are clearly under age and the rules that are supposed to apply are not enforced. It's very common to see two people on one scooters. Most riders seem to think the rules of the road do not apply to them. Jumping red lights and ignoring people on zebra crossings is common. E-scooters are difficult for other road-users to pick out. Riders should be required to wear high-vis jackets. Parking areas for e-scooters seem not to be properly managed so that when there is insufficent space the scooters are simply dumped on the pavement resulting in hazards for pedestrians. The presence of legal e-scooters encourages the use of illegal ones, which are a real menace.

Good in theory, poor in practice - too many are left strewn across footpaths with no care for pedestrians, especially those with specific needs. Firms need to fine those who park badly and remove anyone who does so three times. 

Unfortunately having rental escooters is encouraging people to use their own escooters illegally . There is a need for all wheeled vehicle users to have  insurance and means of identification.

Most renters I’ve seen use the scooter on the road.

Some renters speed along the pavement and do not appear to give much regard to pedestrians.

Some renters appear to abandon their rental scooter on the pavement.  This behaviour concerns me as I feel it puts any pedestrian with a visual disability at risk of an accident.

eScooters are menace to other road and pavement users, hazard to users as well as general public. If allowed, should be restricted to licensed users who have passed a test and are wearing high viz jackets and helmets

The hire schemes just serve to normalise the widespread and completely unchecked use of illegal private scooters. There is no ecological or health case for the use of these inherently dangerous vehicles in public spaces. They are mainly used for joyriding by teenagers and kids (many of whom are clearly not old enough to hold a driving licence). The small number of commuters who use them as part of their commute would be benefitting their own health and safety more if they walked or rode a normal pedal bike. Until they completely banned (which they will be once they have been sufficient fatalities) there should be minimum requirement of wearing a highviz garment and a cycle helmet and a hefty fine for riding one on a pavement or in a park.

Follow Paris - just get rid of all of them.

We see these scooters being ridden badly and dangerously by school children and teenagers without helmets on a daily basis on pavements, roads and in parks presumably using their parent’s details to hire them. 
They are extremely dangerous to drivers and pedestrians alike! Is the insurance valid if the driver is underage. They are not policed properly and should be removed from our roads, parks and pavements. 

E-scooters should be banned completely. Far too dangerous. Too many reckless drivers

The so called test is a disaster but I suspect that the decision has already been made to go ahead 

Scooters are dangerous to pedestrians - particularly those who are older or physically/visually  disadvantaged 

They are ridden with no attention to other road or pavementt users and are also a contributor to the rapid increase in street crime

Why not have  a Paris style referendum to see what  the real residents of London think 

They should be withdrawn immediately 

E Scooters should be banned completely. They are being misused by being driven at speed. They are just dumped once a user has finished with one which is unsightly as well as proving a danger to pedestrians particularly those who are blind or partially sighted.

They also discourage use of Public Transport, the usage of which has declined  posing a problem to economic viability.

It makes no sense to have such heavy handed regulation about e-scooters when e-bikes are just as fast and have similar safety concerns.  Just treat e-scooters with the same laws that you currently have in place for e-bikes.

There are not enough regulations, too much impunity.

It's not right that e-scooters/e-bikes use the pavements as a fast lane, and that they often do not respect the traffic lights.

They are a real nuisance when ridden on pavements and this should be strongly discouraged. 

If private ones are dangerous why even consider having such a scheme. The danger will not change. This mode of transport on public roads should be banned, and more so on pavements where innocent pedestrians are at risk of injury

I feel they add a danger both to the pedestrian and busses. They never stop at red lights or pedestrian crossing. Many times I have witnessed more than 1 person on the actual scooter. There is no respect for road or pavement users. Just stand on the corner of Marble Arch and the evidence is right before your eyes.