Will personal e-scooter possession quickly be made authorized? Here are the arguments for and in opposition to…

E-scooters are one of the most polarising new transport methods of the past decade.

People who are pro point to them being a cheap and efficient means of urban mobility. On the other hand, those against say they are dangerous to the point of being ‘death traps’. 

At the moment e-scooters live in a grey area of the law where they are legal to buy but illegal to ride in public (unless part of a trial).

Yet it looks like the Government could press ahead with plans to legilsate the zero emission runarounds, after suggesting they will be a ‘really effective part’ of an integrated transport system. 

So, with the move bound to raise fury among members of the public and parliament, why are they so divisive? And have we reached a point where any decision is better than no decision?

We take a look at the e-scooter situation before they’re potentially legislated for use on a road near you.

What is the Government’s position on e-scooters?   

Former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said she would ‘absolutely’ press ahead with legislating private zero-emission electric scooters.

The Government suggested they would be part of a ‘really effective part’ of an integrated transport system but highlighted parking and littering as potential issues to be addressed.

Currently, there are national trials of rental e-scooters across England, but private e-scooters are illegal on roads and pavements.

Debates, particularly around their safe use, has been raging since the trials were introduced in 2020.

Speaking to a Parliament Transport Select Committee, Haigh said: ‘We’ve not got parliamentary time in this session or a relevant Bill that could be used to regulate e-scooters, but we will look to legislate, absolutely – it’s clearly required.

‘It’s not good enough that it’s been left in this situation for too long.’

Haigh also address the ‘behavioural impact of e-scooters’ saying: ‘[There are] undoubtedly issues around parking and around street litter’ with the government needing to ‘really carefully analyse what journeys they are replacing’. 

Is e-scooter legislation long overdue? And what are the arguments for and against?

llegal e-scooter use is commonplace, which is a major issue with e-scooters.

CoMoUK, the national organisation for shared transport estimates that 750,000 privately owned, unregulated e-scooters currently in use in the UK.

Department for Transport figures show there were 1,292 collisions involving e-scooters in 2023, and 1,387 casualties involving people riding them.

Calling for tighter restrictions and enforcement, Conservative peer Lord Blencathra described the e-scooters as ‘silent killing machines’.

Fire risks are another perceived problem: In 2021, London’s fire brigade was called to 130 fires related to lithium-ion batteries, 28 of which have been directly linked to e-scooters.

And as well as the ‘behavioural impact of e-scooters’ cited by the government, there’s also the risk to visually impaired and hearing impaired people. 

A 2022 House of Lords paper, ‘E-scooters: The road ahead’, noted that e-scooters are a hazard to blind people, citing the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s evidence that ‘micromobility vehicles such as e-scooters are extremely difficult for blind and partially sighted people to see, and operate quietly which also makes them difficult to hear’. 

But for advocates of the trials, e-scooters are an easy, affordable way to reduce congestion and carbon emissions at the same time, and connect a city’s transport hubs.

And supporters are welcoming potential legislation, which is viewed by many as overdue.

There was widespread criticism of the failure to address e-scooter law in the King’s Speech, with campaigners demanding tighter safety rules be introduced.

CoMoUK welcomed Haigh’s updated, calling the proposed legislation introduction ‘excellent news’: ‘Legalisation is the only way to grow and lock in the impressive popularity of the shared e-scooter trials for the long term, as well as being the only way to have a clear and safe definition of private e-scooters and their use’, chief executive Richard Dilks said.

‘In this way, ministers can give this cheap, flexible and green mode of transport a long-term future, helping deliver growth and decarbonisation at the same time.’

E-scooters – what are they? And where can you ride them?

E-scooters, as the name obviously suggests, are electric scooters and come under the category of ‘powered transporters’.

Under the Road Traffic Act of 1988 they are classes as motor vehicles, which means the same rules apply to them as cars.

To ride an e-scooter therefore you need a full or provisional licence and insurance, and while you can ride and e-scooter either by privately owning one or by renting on through an authorised scheme, it is not currently possible to get insurance for privately owned e-scooters.

There are many trials underway in the UK (although not necessarily warmly embraced).

Which UK cities have e-scooter trials?

While private e-scooter riding is illegal, those partaking in the 20 trials – of which Voi, Tier-Dott and Lime are the main providers – can legally rent an e-scooter in cities across England (including 10 London Boroughs). 

In total there are e-scooter trials in 19 areas of the country including London, Oxford and Liverpool. The trials started in June 2020. 

How did European trials fare? Did Paris ban e-scooters?

Paris is the most prominent city for trialing e-scooters, mainly because it was one of the first to. Over 15,000 share e-scooters were available to use in Paris at the height of their popularity.

But in 2023, five years on it became the first European city put an end to the use of rental e-scooters.

The same issues as those citied in the UK – safety, and behaviour such as poor parking and reckless riding – meant Paris introduced strict regulations in 2020 including a speed cap (20kmph) and limiting the number of operators. 

Then in 2023, a yes/no referendum was held, and despite only 7.5 per cent of people turning out to vote, the 90 per cent who did vote were in favour of the ban.

So at the end of August last year Paris became the first European capital to ban rented e-scooters.