E-scooters

Any implementation of that scheme would clearly end up being rolled out to bikes as well after a Daily Mail campaign.

The clear distinction being that these would not be human powered.

A man has been disqualified from driving after he crashed his e-scooter while drunk in the City of London.

Dmitry Gromov, 28, of Commercial Road, Tower Hamlets, was riding an e-scooter while intoxicated, on Friday 31 May 2019, when he crashed into a moped and caused serious injuries to its driver and pillion passenger. E-scooters are illegal to drive in the UK except on private land.

Gromov pleaded guilty to drink-driving and careless driving on Wednesday 18 December 2019 at Westminster Magistrates Court and was disqualified from driving for 16 months. He was also ordered to pay £3,367.96 in compensation to those he had injured.

City of London Police Special Constable William Hamilton said:

“There has recently been a steep rise in the use of electrically powered scooters on public roads. These scooters are currently illegal to ride anywhere, other than on private land.

“Not only did Gromov take the risk of riding an illegal vehicle on the road, he also put himself and others in danger by doing so under the influence of alcohol.

“Gromov will now be disqualified from driving and has had to pay a hefty fine for his carelessness. However, the consequences could have been much worse.”

Spendy night out.

didn't realise they were de facto illegal to use. Given all the shite post Charlie Allinson I'm looking forward to the amateur vehicle inspectors making themselves known to the blue collar scooter commuters rather than tyre kicking fixed gear bikes...

Rode one in Spain a while back, by far the easiest way of getting about it seemed.

While fun, probably a total pain for anyone else, pavement or road? Kinda need bike/e scooter only lanes, left and right, so it’s segregated and easy to know what’s going on!

I see the police stopping people riding them quite often outside my office window.

Yas. Just checked and hoverboards also illegal to use in public.

Not just a worstcunt if you use one; also an illegal worstcunt.

Totally Mexico!

Totally Mexico!

About 5 years ago, before e-scooters and hoverboards were a thing some guy turned up for an interview on an electric longboard. We all basically laughed in his face and called him Nathan Barley.

what do they do once they've stopped them though?
if it was some oik on a ghetto rigged petrol powered bicycle it would be confiscated and destroyed...

They confiscate and destroy them I believe

Maybe just confiscate them

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/police-share-images-of-seized-illegal-electric-scooters-a4153271.html

As I've said before, I actually consider the ban on them in this country very sensible, for the simple reasons that they will be used in place of walking and cycling, and because most people who haven't had extensive cycling experience are basically unable to safely control a two-wheeler like that at 20mph (or more). I'd trust experienced fast cyclists with that, but not people who've never cycled much.

Obviously, the high injury and death toll (so far) from these things (reported from all countries that I've looked at) may just be early adoption pains, but as of now I maintain that if they were to be licensed, people would have to undergo training to use them. As someone else said, it's just another form of motorisation, perhaps 'micro-' or 'mini-motorisation', and while that can have very good uses, e.g. for people with mobility difficulties, adoption by the wider population is most certainly not a desirable thing. There's no medical indication for most people, and while it's probably easier to carry around than a folding bike, for the vast majority of purposes cycling will be far, far better, both for the rider and their surroundings.

We all basically laughed in his face and called him Nathan Barley.

Was probably like 'who?'

Confiscate then flog them on eBay, then wait outside the address they've sent them to.

If you were unfortunate enough to live in Stevenage, an electric scooter would be a great way to get around.

I think they are currently way too fast and need to be brought under some kind of regulation similar to e assist bikes.

I don't understand the people in this thread pushing walking over scooter use. A 3 mile walk to work is time consuming and a scooter cuts that dramatically.

A 3 mile walk to work is time consuming and a bicycle cuts that dramatically.

E-scooters as a concept bothers me somehow, but I can't rationally explain why. Maybe it's the douchebags operating them. Maybe it's the WALL•E dystopian vibes they give me. They just scream laziness to me.

Here in NZ, there are a few companies that have been allowed to operate e-scooter rentals, with the idea being to cut down congestion and offer an eco-alternative to single occupant vehicles for short journey/commutes. While in theory that sounds good, it seems that once you step onto one of these, your ability to operate it in a responsible and courteous manner disappears. *
They have "suggested" rules of operation i.e: must be over 18 to operate, must wear a helmet, only operate on pavement, don't double etc, all of which are ignored and mostly by "responsible" adults who seem to revert to a state of childish glee while zooming down footpaths at 30kmh and through intersections without looking.
The scooters themselves have become fast food wrappers, disposed of wherever the users see fit, dumped across paths, in rivers, across private driveways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyAtT0sJMBE

*disclaimer: not a boomer

I dont really like it when I encounter then on the road and there definitely are a few scooter 'types' out there unified seemingly by douchiness. If they are widely adopted though there will undoubtedly be a positive impact on congestion and car levels.

Some people are just never going to want to pedal a bicycle, if they hop on a scooter then great.

If they are widely adopted though there will undoubtedly be a positive impact on congestion and car levels.

I doubt that. I think the main group of adopters would be (existing) public transport users, to bridge the gap between stations and workplaces and that sort of thing.

Experience shows that more motorisation, even at the micro- and mini-level, tends to increase the need to travel, which would usually more than offset any gains.

I'd be very happy to be shown to be wrong on this one.

This thread is amazing. Surprised to see that people are knee jerking against these with much the same arguments as you get against bikes and increased bike infrastructure.
Loads of European cities have these as hire schemes and they are excellent. They are basically bike equivalents but just with a different appearance. Really fun and easy to ride and a great alternative to polluting hail and ride taxi apps for short journeys.

Having ridden them a few times I agree that they seem dangerous but on reflection I think they are just as inherently dangerous as cycling, just new.

They are the future and there's no reason at all that they can't coexist on the roads along with bikes and have the same status. Calling for them to be licensed and for extensive training before you go near one is equivalent to calling for all bikes to have numberplates.

Is max speed/power the only option on these things?
Can they be used at lower speeds?

They are the future

Lol

amazing, he was way ahead of the curve