Electric scooters

[T & P]

Looks like the Met are going back to turning a blind eye again which was inevitable because of the cost of enforcement, which is good news for me.

The policy looks to be, don't be a dick and we will not screw you.

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It has always felt that way, in London at least. I mean, the mere sighting of a non-rental escooter on the street is surely as conclusive evidence of illegality as someone riding a motorcycle without a helmet. But whereas pretty much 100% of helmetless bikers would be guaranteed to be stopped at the first instance of being noticed by the rozzers, I’d be surprised if one in five hundred e-scooterists spotted by the old bill ever get pulled over.

I don’t have a problem with it myself. Like you say, far better to concentrate on anyway behaving like dicks.

 

[kabbes]

Someone at work is using one of the Voi hire scooters to commute every day, takes him about ten minutes to do it, about three miles with quite a bit of climbing. Good to know they’re getting some proper use rather than just students pissing about when drunk.

About six miles with climbing is pretty much spot on the right amount of walking that you need to do every day. If he’s missing this opportunity to do it, I hope he’s finding some other time in the day to manage it.

 

[Gromit]

About six miles with climbing is pretty much spot on the right amount of walking that you need to do every day. If he’s missing this opportunity to do it, I hope he’s finding some other time in the day to manage it.

Depend on the gradient. A gentle gradient is recommended not a harsh one.

 

[Dogsauce]

About six miles with climbing is pretty much spot on the right amount of walking that you need to do every day. If he’s missing this opportunity to do it, I hope he’s finding some other time in the day to manage it.

I guess the difference between a ten minute scoot or hour long walk informs this choice. It’s not a route that can be done on buses very easily, though a perfectly reasonable bike commute albeit on some shit roads (no benefit over scooter in that sense) and with a bit of climbing, depending on the route chosen.

 

[kabbes]

I guess the difference between a ten minute scoot or hour long walk informs this choice. It’s not a route that can be done on buses very easily, though a perfectly reasonable bike commute albeit on some shit roads (no benefit over scooter in that sense) and with a bit of climbing, depending on the route chosen.

I get it, I promise. A long commute really sucks. Mine is two hours each way but 30 minutes of that is intentionally added to give me walking time I otherwise just wouldn’t do, adding a crucial 3 miles of walking at one end of the leg and bring me to 5 miles for the day as a whole (including the mile I do at the other end of the leg).

Walking that amount of distance does indeed take a lot of time but that’s just generally true. If he isn’t taking the commute times for it, is he finding another hour or two in the day to do it at another point? Or is it just not being done at all?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

E scoot to the gym to hit the running machine for an hour at 4mph

 

[editor]

Now banned across the London Underground network.

Following a couple of fires on the London Underground, TfL has decided to impose a ban on all e-scooters and e-unicycles across its entire network and its stations.

From Monday (13th Dec), customers using either sort of device will not be permitted to enter any premises on TfL’s network or travel on any of its services, including on the Tube, buses, Overground, TfL Rail, Trams and DLR.

The reason for the ban being introduced is that there have been two fires in recent months involving the battery-powered devices – one in Stanmore tube station, and the other on a tube train at Parsons Green.

TfL imposes public transport ban on e-scooters

Following a couple of fires on the London Underground, TfL has decided to impose a ban on all e-scooters and e-unicycles across its entire network and its stations.

www.ianvisits.co.uk

 

[BristolEcho]

Now banned across the London Underground network.

TfL imposes public transport ban on e-scooters

Following a couple of fires on the London Underground, TfL has decided to impose a ban on all e-scooters and e-unicycles across its entire network and its stations.

www.ianvisits.co.uk

Can you take electric bikes on there do you know?

At first I thought this meant people were riding them in the corridors.

 

[Gromit]

Can you take electric bikes on there do you know?

At first I thought this meant people were riding them in the corridors.

eBikes allowed providing they are folding ones.

 

[Gromit]

Now banned across the London Underground network.

TfL imposes public transport ban on e-scooters

Following a couple of fires on the London Underground, TfL has decided to impose a ban on all e-scooters and e-unicycles across its entire network and its stations.

www.ianvisits.co.uk

TFL are slashing 500 station staff so who exactly is going to stop people with them I don’t know.
Loads of peeps on them won’t even read the news or the signs.

 

[stdP]

At first I thought this meant people were riding them in the corridors.

Although most people toting these things are relatively sensible with them, I've seen this a couple of people riding them in corridors over the last six months, and there was also one idiot who rode one down the platform. That at least got a stern rebuke over the tannoy (to which they certainly seemed oblivious).

A much bigger problem has been people tripping over the damn things on the escalators and in train or them being swung in to people's faces.

 

[Gromit]

Although most people toting these things are relatively sensible with them, I've seen this a couple of people riding them in corridors over the last six months, and there was also one idiot who rode one down the platform. That at least got a stern rebuke over the tannoy (to which they certainly seemed oblivious).

A much bigger problem has been people tripping over the damn things on the escalators and in train or them being swung in to people's faces.

1. They were meant to be in a folded state before boarding trains. People don't do that.
2. Not folded (therefore all legal hire scooters) weren't supposed to be on at all. People still brought them on.
3. The ban isn't because of trio hazards or emergency evacuation reasons (why not folded bike aren't allowed on underground sections). It's because they form a signiy fire risk. Some aren't charged properly and some are manufactured to poor standards.
4. Expect to see many scooters still on the tube as I predict that as people have gotten used to the convenience they'll just ignore the ban. Many don't even read the warning posters even because English isnt their first language or that people just don't

 

[DownwardDog]

FIM now sanctions an e-scooter racing series.

 

[Fez909]

I've read the last 5 pages any it's mostly just anti-car / pro-cyclist stuff. Can't be arsed going back further, so, can someone please tell me the best one to get at a sensible price?

I should have bought the Aldi/Lidl one that was a re-branded Xiaomi a few years ago but didn't...which one is comparable to that now (cheap/good value, excellent performance). I support I would care about range more than speed, or features, or anything else.

Cheers.

 

[steveseagull]

Xiaomi

A year on, I am still getting on well with my Pure Air

Electric Scooters | UK E-Scooters | Pure Electric

Discover our range of UK-designed, award-winning electric scooters. With cutting-edge technology and sleek design, our e-scooters deliver unrivalled performance, reliability, and style.

www.pureelectric.com

 

[steveseagull]

For range go for the 2nd generation pro version (31 miles)

 

[Badgers]

Am still holding off on this but thinking new year is going to be it. No doubt there will be some deals on offer.

 

[Badgers]

OKAI launches 37 MPH high power 1,800W off-road standing electric scooter

OKAI ES800 off-road electric scooter and ES600 street scooter launched at CES 2022, showing off higher power and full-suspension rides.

electrek-co.cdn.ampproject.org

 

[steveseagull]

An 1800 watt 37 mph is never going to be legal unless they make a new category something akin to motorbike license for scooters over a certain wattage.

 

[teuchter]

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Teenage girl on e-scooter dies in crash with van in east London

The van driver is with police but has not been arrested over the death of the girl, believed to be 14.

www.bbc.co.uk

A teenage girl riding an e-scooter has died following a crash with a van in east London.
The rider, who police believe was 14 years old, was in collision with the vehicle on Green Street in East Ham. She was treated by paramedics but died at the scene, at about 13:30 GMT.





Awful.

 

[Gromit]

Isle of Wight scooter Trial...

The FOI by an island resident, and released by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, showed that in the 12 months following the start of the scheme in November 2020, 1,004 misuse reports were filed with Isle of Wight Council.
They included 87 for anti-social behaviour, 178 for dangerous driving on the road and 235 for riding with a passenger.
Underaged riding prompted 141 complaints and there were 262 for riding on a pavement.

I can only imagine what the stats must be like for dense London and all the idiots with illegal scooters. How many unreported deaths there must be? Unreported because they're not a teenage girl or similar and so not as headline grabby.

 

[steveseagull]

Happy days. The legislation around legalising privately owned e-scooters was in the Transport Bill which was presented during the Queen's Speech today.

They will put legislation in place during this parliamentary term.

I doubt it will be powerful ones mind. The specs will be somewhere in line with the rental scooters, (15mph max, 12" wheels etc) which is fine by me.

I can go legal woohoo

 

[Sasaferrato]

Teenage girl on e-scooter dies in crash with van in east London

The van driver is with police but has not been arrested over the death of the girl, believed to be 14.

www.bbc.co.uk

A teenage girl riding an e-scooter has died following a crash with a van in east London.
The rider, who police believe was 14 years old, was in collision with the vehicle on Green Street in East Ham. She was treated by paramedics but died at the scene, at about 13:30 GMT.





Awful.

That really is my objection to them being ridden in traffic, hit a pothole and fall off, you have no protection at all.

 

[maomao]

There's a woman in my neighbourhood that rides round on a dodgy looking pink one of these with her daughter (6 or 7). I saw them rushing to cross a road on a red man with traffic fifty yards away the other day. I'm terrified of reading about their deaths in the local paper.

 

[teuchter]

That really is my objection to them being ridden in traffic, hit a pothole and fall off, you have no protection at all.

That article is about a crash with a motor vehicle, not about hitting a pothole.

 

[Hollis]

I'm actually pleased that they're being legalised. Hopefully they'll now be sensibly regulated - and it's good that they'll be addressing the cowboy customisation.

It will be interesting what spec they finally agree and what requirements for riding them are.

There's a lot of data emerging about accidents involving no other vehicles, and there's clear measures that can be taken to make them safer (aside from filling in pot holes).

 

[BristolEcho]

I'll be getting one I think. There is an area I have to go to for work that is a hour cycle each way along not Very nice roads. I can get a train and then use the scooter for relative ease and it will take less time. Better than learning to drive.

 

[Duncan2]

Guessing that helmets will be part of the new legal measures.Probably a good thing-always going to be potentially lethal with those tiny wheels as noted above.It was the small diameter of the front wheel that made "Chopper" kids bikes such a dreadful hazard as I recall.

 

[Gromit]

I'll be getting one I think. There is an area I have to go to for work that is a hour cycle each way along not Very nice roads. I can get a train and then use the scooter for relative ease and it will take less time. Better than learning to drive.

You may or may not be allowed on the train with your scooter.
TFL bans escooters due to a number of fires involving them. Other rail companies may do same.

Unlike ebikes the battery standards of escooters vary wildly.