Electric scooters

[Badgers]

Not sure how accident/injury statistics are panning out

I am not sure in the UK.

Might have posted this already but did some work with the Red Cross in Poland. Scooters are everywhere there. You can scan a QR in most pubs or hotels to download the hire app and off you go. When I checked into the hotel I was given a flyer to hire one to save money on taxi's.

Nice idea but I did see a lot of pissed up people on them. From what I saw (only Warsaw TBF) the cycling infrastructure was far better than the UK so that was a good thing for scooters.

The Red Cross person I met there said that head injuries and amputations had gone through the roof since the scooter phase started.

Reminded me of Spain. When I was based over there for work really young kids on mopeds with no helmet, swim shorts and flip-flops were everywhere. Saw a lot of young people on the beach with missing limbs and some hideous scarring.

 

[steveseagull]

TopCat To be honest, I would not rush back out on it for the moment. There is a huge police crackdown going on

 

[steveseagull]

Not sure how accident/injury statistics are panning out but I think I am quite in favour of these scooters. People can take them on trains and maybe even buses without taking up much extra space. That means they can do the journey legs at each end of a journey on the scooter. From this point of view they are arguably better than bikes (or perhaps similar to folding bikes). If they are being used by people who might otherwise be inclined to drive, but who don't want to cycle, that's a good thing. Cycling has a problem that it can be perceived as a white-middle-class thing but the scooters appear to escape this association. A wider range of people having an interest in the provision of things like cycle lanes is good.

On the rental trials, over 2 million journeys made, no deaths, no recorded visits to A&E.

 

[Badgers]

On the rental trials, over 2 million journeys made, no deaths, no recorded visits to A&E.

That seems almost impossible?

 

[steveseagull]

That seems almost impossible?

That is what I would have thought but those are the figures given to the House of Lords earlier this week.

 

[TopCat]

TopCat To be honest, I would not rush back out on it for the moment. There is a huge police crackdown going on

Is there? Not surprising given the looming commencement of the legal rental scooters in London. Clear the decks.
Soon as it gets warm again the streets will teem with personally owned scooters.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

As soon as the legal rented ones are out the personal ones will get free reign, no plod's gonna be scrutinising every scooter whizzing past to see if it's legit or not. If they did that they might walk straight past a Greggs without noticing.

 

[steveseagull]

Is there? Not surprising given the looming commencement of the legal rental scooters in London. Clear the decks.
Soon as it gets warm again the streets will teem with personally owned scooters.

I would say that is the reason. There has been a lot of police busts on the cycle lanes over the last week. A lot more confiscations instead of a telling off.

As you say, ownership is growing at an exponential rate and it will hopefully get to the critical mass stage where they can no longer deal with it/have room for confiscated scooters.

Then they may decided to just go for the dicks who ride high speed on the pavements etc and leave us low powered lot to go about our business.

I have been out on mine every weekend on the last six weeks, mainly keeping to river cycle paths but retiring mine for a bit until the heat is off.

 

[steveseagull]

As soon as the legal rented ones are out the personal ones will get free reign, no plod's gonna be scrutinising every scooter whizzing past to see if it's legit or not. If they did that they might walk straight past a Greggs without noticing.

Trick is to get some stickers which match the rental ones

 

[lazythursday]

Wish my local council was taking part in these trials, I'd love to have a go on one. I have an e-bike but I've hardly used it - I just have a bit of a phobia about bikes for some reason, whereas the scooter is really appealing to me. Feels like it would be much easier to use, less bulky etc.

 

[Badgers]

That is what I would have thought but those are the figures given to the House of Lords earlier this week.

Fair play, was not doubting you. Just statistically it seems impossible.

 

[lazythursday]

Was contemplating taking a trip to my nearest trial area to give one a go - and ffs, you have to have a drivers licence? why on earth would you need a licence for one of these and not for an e-bike?

 

[T & P]

Was contemplating taking a trip to my nearest trial area to give one a go - and ffs, you have to have a drivers licence? why on earth would you need a licence for one of these and not for an e-bike?

Welcome to the UK.

 

[Dogsauce]

Was contemplating taking a trip to my nearest trial area to give one a go - and ffs, you have to have a drivers licence? why on earth would you need a licence for one of these and not for an e-bike?

presume it’s the same rules as for small motorbikes, as that’s kind of what they are. You can get points on your licence for being drunk/a dick too.

Difference between the rental ones and private ones is that the rental ones have gps controls that stop you using them in certain areas and limit speeds in others, quite sophisticated. They also have kerfews (general or area-dependent).

 

[Saul Goodman]

Was contemplating taking a trip to my nearest trial area to give one a go - and ffs, you have to have a drivers licence? why on earth would you need a licence for one of these and not for an e-bike?

Because one is a self-powered motor vehicle, and the other is assisted. The law dictates that if it can move without human assistance, its a motor vehicle.

 

[DotCommunist]

The rules on the northants scheme say provisional licence covers it. Theres loads around here now, and the voi electric bikes.

 

[lazythursday]

The rules on the northants scheme say provisional licence covers it. Theres loads around here now, and the voi electric bikes.

The scheme most local to me wants a full driving license.

I'm assuming they will have to change the licensing system after the trials are complete (assuming e-scooters get the go ahead). As someone like me is hardly likely to learn to drive a car or a motorbike in order to use one of these - they will need their own specific license surely?

 

[teuchter]

Because one is a self-powered motor vehicle, and the other is assisted. The law dictates that if it can move without human assistance, its a motor vehicle.

Mobility scooters can move without human assistance, and don't need driving licenses.

 

[BristolEcho]

It seems plausible to me that if they are limited to 10mph or so

Mobility scooters can move without human assistance, and don't need driving licenses.

I think e-bikes that you can drive non-assisted are illegal here. I had one with a throttle which was great for that, but pretty sure it wasn't legal. I got it from Amazon.

The E-Bike that I has now needs you to peddle it before the motor kicks in and it is limited to 16mphish. That is road legal.

 

[Saul Goodman]

The scheme most local to me wants a full driving license.

I'm assuming they will have to change the licensing system after the trials are complete (assuming e-scooters get the go ahead). As someone like me is hardly likely to learn to drive a car or a motorbike in order to use one of these - they will need their own specific license surely?

I see no problem with needing a license to ride one, and I'd prefer it was actually a license that was issued as the result of a test, as opposed to one from a lucky bag. Unfortunately, if it does happen, I can see one of Boris' croneys getting the contract to hand out licenses to a warehouse full of people, after they pay 50 quid and prove they can walk and breathe at the same time.

 

[Saul Goodman]

It seems plausible to me that if they are limited to 10mph or so

Mobility scooters can move without human assistance, and don't need driving licenses.

That's because they're mobility scooters.

 

[steveseagull]

The scheme most local to me wants a full driving license.

I'm assuming they will have to change the licensing system after the trials are complete (assuming e-scooters get the go ahead). As someone like me is hardly likely to learn to drive a car or a motorbike in order to use one of these - they will need their own specific license surely?

The transport committee are recommending that no license will be required. They will be treated like bikes up to 350watts in power. I suspect anything over that power will remain banned.

 

[Saul Goodman]

The transport committee are recommending that no license will be required. They will be treated like bikes up to 350watts in power. I suspect anything over that power will remain banned.

That will most likely be the outcome. A plague of scooterists, with all the common sense of cyclists but even more dangerous

 

[lazythursday]

I see no problem with needing a license to ride one, and I'd prefer it was actually a license that was issued as the result of a test, as opposed to one from a lucky bag. Unfortunately, if it does happen, I can see one of Boris' croneys getting the contract to hand out licenses to a warehouse full of people, after they pay 50 quid and prove they can walk and breathe at the same time.

Having to have a license is a huge barrier to casual use though, and hence will significantly restrain their growth. I'd say see how it goes without first and intriduce a license later if they prove problematic. But I'd be happy to do a test if necessary, as long as it's something specifically designed for e-scooter use.

 

[Spymaster]

I see no problem with needing a license to ride one, and I'd prefer it was actually a license that was issued as the result of a test, as opposed to one from a lucky bag. Unfortunately, if it does happen, I can see one of Boris' croneys getting the contract to hand out licenses to a warehouse full of people, after they pay 50 quid and prove they can walk and breathe at the same time.

They need to be insured as well. I don't believe for a second that 2 million journeys have been made on them with absolutely no incidents. That would likely make them one of the world's safest forms of transport, which they're clearly not.

 

[lazythursday]

That will most likely be the outcome. A plague of scooterists, with all the common sense of cyclists but even more dangerous

Of course car drivers are renowned for their common sense. Strange how they have it all and not other road users.

 

[Saul Goodman]

They need to be insured as well. I don't believe for a second that 2 million journeys have been made on them with absolutely no incidents. That would likely make them one of the world's safest forms of transport, which they're clearly not.

It's obviously bullshit. There will be an asterisk somewhere in that report, and at the bottom of the page it'll say.


*parts or all of this report may be complete bullshit.

 

[teuchter]

That's because they're mobility scooters.

According to you, if it can move without human assistance, the law dictates that it is a motor vehicle.
Also according to you, the reason that an e-scooter needs a licence is because it is a self powered motor vehicle.
If the reason that an e-scooter needs a licence is that it's a self powered motor vehicle, then a mobility scooter should need a licence, but it doesn't.
Therefore you are revealed once again as knowing nothing about road vehicles and the law.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Of course car drivers are renowned for their common sense. Strange how they have it all and not other road users.

It's a well established fact that people who have passed a driving test are better in every way than those who haven't.

 

[Saul Goodman]

According to you, if it can move without human assistance, the law dictates that it is a motor vehicle.
Also according to you, the reason that an e-scooter needs a licence is because it is a self powered motor vehicle.
If the reason that an e-scooter needs a licence is that it's a self powered motor vehicle, then a mobility scooter should need a licence, but it doesn't.
Therefore you are revealed once again as knowing nothing about road vehicles and the law.

I think all that was revealed is your lack of empathy for people with disabilities.