London rental e-scooter trial

I see no need for these as there is plenty of public transport in London. They cause risk to pedestrians and this risk I believe outweighs any benefits. Where can I find a  published risk analysis and cost benefit analysis for these?

I live in Brixton. I am very surprised to read in this consultation that private scooters are banned and that all riders must be over 18! That’s not my experience at all. Only yesterday I was almost hit by a young person riding an unbranded- scooter really fast on the footpath just outside of Brockwell park - if you know brixton water lane you know how narrow the footpaths are. I screamed as they almost hit me. They then drove back around to swear at me. As a woman I already don’t feel safe on the streets a lot of the time - scooters make my safety worse.  In Brixton scooters are strewn across the pavements - how is someone using a mobility aid or pushing a pram supposed to get around them? Like the other commenters on here, I recognize that scooters could provide a safe and effective mode of transport, especially for those who have difficulty walking. But at the moment i feel not safe walking on footpaths that have to share the space with scooters. I think the trial that my borough has taken part in, has, at best, confused the rules around scooters, and at worst, contributed to a climate of impunity using any them. I think they need to be on the road as a minimum - but I see other commenters here see lots of dangerous driving on the roads too. At the moment no one is policing the under 18 ban or the private scooter ban (or even advertising that those are the rules!) , so I don’t know what the solution is to this. We could ban them outright, but the situation would stay the same :( 

I've been reasonably impressed with the trial, even though I don't use these scooters myself. The e-scooter parking areas seem to be reasonably well respected and regularly tidied. The users I've seen have been considerate of others. Seems to add something to the city, and I'm all for that!

So we in Merton don’t have these E scooters but I see plenty of privately owned ones, they ride both on the road and on the pavement .. as I use a mobility scooter which is 4mph.. I am concerned if they become available in Merton, are they,  like many of the E bikes going to be left just anywhere? The bikes are usually left on the middle of pavements, narrow ones at that, or many times just thrown on the pavements, causing obstruction for disabled people who use wheels and parents with pushchairs and are a safety hazard for those that have vision impairments …how are they going to ensure that their users will leave them in a safe place???  as at the moment E bikes users don’t seem to care where they leave them 

These are unsafe vehicles (batteries are prone to overheating and exploding) usually driven in an unsafe manner - on pavements threatening pedestrians or on the street where they are a danger to other vehicles). Whether rental or privately owned the drivers typically do not wear safety equipment and typically drive in a reckless manner.  These e-scooters should not be licensed or permitted on our streets.

There should be greater enforcement of the ban on non-rental scooters, and also something should be done about the rental bikes that don't need to be docked - they seem to be abandoned in the road, across the pavement and in other places that are problems for pedestrians and other road users.

I use a walking stick and am slowish in movement.  I have had a scooter ridden directly at me twice - I am expected to get out of the way despite walking next to a building, not the roadside of a pavement.  The scooters are always driven by young teenagers who think they own the pavement.  A scooter should not be driven on the pavement or the road, they are a menace to pedestrians and drivers.

Your interim report states, 'High standards enforced through operator contracts, including in relation to: vehicles, parking, maintenance, preventing risky behaviours, user education, equitable access and environmental impact'

This is not the case in Southwark. 

I have witnessed the wholesale abandonment of e scooters in Brussels. they are a danger and a nuisance to the population, especially those with a sight problem. We see abandoned e bikes (Lime) all over London. The scooters will become an equal nuisance/danger 

I believe that no vehicle should be on the road without a license plate. From bicycle to electric bicycle to scooter, if it's on the road it and the driver, should be legally identifiable.  Everything else is a mockery of road safety.  Electric bicycles and scooters are a danger to driver and public alike. Their appearance represents government irresponsibility.

I live in the borough of Bromley. Often those e-scooters are abandoned on the pavements. Which cause an obstruction, and could also make it difficult for disabled people to get around. Southwark Council had suggested it would remove abandoned e-scooters and impound them, this has as yet not been done. The e-scooters should NOT be allowed on the streets of London. I hope the scheme will not be rolled out to the whole of London. I have seen these e-scooters abandoned in Bus Lanes in an around East Dulwich. This is dangerous. 

These scooters are a menace. They are used by people who are often drunk or messing around. They do not follow the highway code. Often you see them on pavements,  going through red lights and over taking at inappropriate locations. 

As a pedestrian they are threatening as they feel they have right of way. They cross zebra crossings when they should not etc.

It encourages people to use non rental scooters on the roads as they see these and don't check to see what the differences are. 

They use batteries that are not great for the planet and will enhance climate change. Using batteries makes us reliant on China etc..

I do not see the point of them... people would be better walking as it gives them exercise and saves the planet. 

Please just encourage people to walk or use the public transport system.

I have seen only non-rental scooters. I live in a borough where rental scooters are not available. The non-rental variety are a nuisance and a hazard. They are ridden on pavements, cycle lanes and in supermarkets. They are illegal yet there appears to be no enforcement of the law. It is irresponsible of the Government to allow unregulated machines to be sold.
 

I hate electric scooters, and the trial should finish as soon as possible. Not only are scooters ridden on pavements, but when they are on the road, the rider will often drive through red lights - to the dangers of pedestrians crossing. The scooters are abandoned when the hire is finished just about anywhere. Because our home is near a borough boundary, we find scooters abandoned all over the place near to us - in the middle of the pavement, blocking the way, fallen over on the pavement blocking the way, on the road, occupying a residents parking bay, on the road fallen over in a residents parking bay. They are not collected by the hire company for days.

I have similar objections to the non-docking bike schemes - and as with the scooters these get abandoned anywhere when the hire is finished. And bikes generally (not just hire bikes) ride without consideration for pedestrians (and this isnt just a few - it is the majority).

The Mayor ought to be prioritising pedestrians and users of public transport - not bikes, not scooters.

These things are difficult to see on the road and very dangerous on the pavement, a privately owned scooter collided with a young woman leaving a shop in Hackney recently, luckily she was only a bit shaken and not hurt. If these things are going to become legal they need to be kept off the pavement and riders must wear high viz AND USE LIGHTS AT NIGHT AND IN LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS.

Where was the option in the survey to say that the schemes should be stopped? These powered scooters should be regulated like the mopeds they are with insurance, licences, helmets and tax. They only exist as a way to avoid the law related to mopeds, laws which are there for a reason.

Love the e-scooter scheme. It's friendly, easy to use, and a neat way to get around IMHO. I agree with those who point out that users sometimes don't seem to be following the rules - but then that's true of cyclists and pedestrians and other road users, too. Perhaps a general campaign ("Follow the Green Cross Code" - am I showing my age?!) could be useful as a way to positively encourage good behaviour.

By and large, as with the cycles, it seems to be getting more and more people travelling in different ways, which is fantastic.

Well done for innovating in this way, and I really hope the scheme continues.

e-scooters are a menace -they are left on the pavement and those who are blind or partially sighted will trip or fall on these. People are careless when using them and are selfish riding too fast and without care and attention

Hi,

I gave scooters a go (in London and elsewhere), and I entered into it in the spirit of open-mindedness and experimentation, but generally it's not worked for me. 

As a user, I found them precarious and vulnerable to bad road urfaces. I found them too slow as a mode of transport, and it didn't feel active. Overall, I regretted using them and never really enjoyed it.

As another road user (generally cyclist) I found them hard to share the road with. At junctions they are typically away faster initially, but are then in the way as you quickly accelerate past them once they hit their maximum speed. The earlier adopters are not good ambassadors and often push themselves ahead of cyclists at junctions, which is just plain rude. 

As a pedestrian, I find their use disconcerting - particularly when exiting from shops onto the high street. But if I'm honest I don't suppose the risk is huge. However, with food delivery folk on e-bikes this is exacerbated, and I can only empathise with what it must be like for older folk. 

The electric bikes schemes for me are far superior. They feel more stable, better able to handle poor roads, feel more 'active' in terms of exercise, and are faster. Users are less likely to ride on pavements it seems, and they blend well with other road traffic. They're also able to take carry modest loads. Having both schemes actually feels like it's crowding the available spaces. Where the space is shared with both bikes and scooters, there always seems too many scooters and to few (or no!) bikes. 
 

Finally - please mandate standards across the Capital. Going from one zone to another with different rules really kills the convenience and usability of the scheme. 

I think the rental schemeshould stop, they do not look well maintained, I have not seen one in a good condition and they are left in random places. It is time private scooters were regularised, and able to be insured and then allowed on the roads. The delay to 2025 is unacceptable particularly as electric bikes are allowed on the road and there is no evidence that electric scooters are any worse than bikes.