E Scooters soon to be allowed on UK roads?

[anonymous-user]

Graveworm said:

Pedal cyclists are at a high risk but it's more than offset by the fitness and health benefits. These do not apply to escooters.

I agree, but I think one of the main attractions of escooters is that people will use them instead of cars/busses/taxis for shorter urban journeys.

So whilst they won’t help with anyone’s fitness, they may be more eco friendly than using a car, and they may solve some issues of traffic congestion and parking.

They are aimed at people who wouldn’t consider a bicycle, but would consider a powered form of transport that can be easily stored at work on in their home.

[ambuletz]

Lord Marylebone said:

I agree, but I think one of the main attractions of escooters is that people will use them instead of cars/busses/taxis for shorter urban journeys.

So whilst they won’t help with anyone’s fitness, they may be more eco friendly than using a car, and they may solve some issues of traffic congestion and parking.

They are aimed at people who wouldn’t consider a bicycle, but would consider a powered form of transport that can be easily stored at work on in their home.

In some ways that's a good thing (eco, social mobility etc). but in other ways it's bad. Someone who probably can't ride a bicycle because 1-they're too unfit or 2- don't know how is probably more likely to get onto a scooter.

There's also the average joe who's never cycled, or driven and has no road sense. Suddenly they want to start riding around at 20mph on the road. Despite the fact that a moped is only 10mph faster and requirres CBT as a bare minimum along with a helmet. Falling off a moped or motorbike isn't going to be much different if you fall off a scooter at the same speed.

The roads will end up like bangkok where it's flooded with mopeds, however it will be escooters, all with no break lights, headlights, indicators, helmets, licenses or road sense.

[Fishlegs]

Just had a thought, and figured this was the thread to ask...

You know how e-bikes are assisted rather than powered (at least, the legal ones are). If you stop pedalling, they stop assisting and you just grind to a halt.

Is there such a thing as an assisted e-scooter? If you push along, it'll multiply the effort, but if you stop pushing it along it'll just slow to a stop.

I don't see them in Google searches, but I'm not sure what they might be called if they do exist.

Surely those would be legal under the same rules as assisted e-bikes?

If they existed, and were 100% legal, would you have one? I probably would.

[Graveworm]

Lord Marylebone said:

Graveworm said:

Pedal cyclists are at a high risk but it's more than offset by the fitness and health benefits. These do not apply to escooters.

I agree, but I think one of the main attractions of escooters is that people will use them instead of cars/busses/taxis for shorter urban journeys.

So whilst they won’t help with anyone’s fitness, they may be more eco friendly than using a car, and they may solve some issues of traffic congestion and parking.

They are aimed at people who wouldn’t consider a bicycle, but would consider a powered form of transport that can be easily stored at work on in their home.

As above the studies show that it's just not the case and in other cities they most often replace active travel especially walking so making matters worse not better.

[anonymous-user]

silverthorn2151 said:

All of that stuff is interesting and makes you think.

when I'm on my escooter at a max speed of 15mph

That's a fair speed really, i am absolutely 100% for E scooters and the benefits they bring but i think they should be limited to 8mph with an absolute max of 10mph which is about twice walking speed, more like a jogging speed.
I think those speeds should be legislated for and anyone going faster severely dealt with.

Let's make E Scooters a force for good and a great alternative form of personal transport rather than something else 'haters can hate'.

[CoolHands]

I don’t care about injuries to e-scooter riders, I care about the poor sods they hit.

[anonymous-user]

Graveworm said:

Lord Marylebone said:

Graveworm said:

Pedal cyclists are at a high risk but it's more than offset by the fitness and health benefits. These do not apply to escooters.

I agree, but I think one of the main attractions of escooters is that people will use them instead of cars/busses/taxis for shorter urban journeys.

So whilst they won’t help with anyone’s fitness, they may be more eco friendly than using a car, and they may solve some issues of traffic congestion and parking.

They are aimed at people who wouldn’t consider a bicycle, but would consider a powered form of transport that can be easily stored at work on in their home.

As above the studies show that it's just not the case and in other cities they most often replace active travel especially walking so making matters worse not better.

I did say they won’t help anyone’s fitness!

I’m sure some people will use them instead of walking, and some will use them instead of a car or bus. You win some you lose some.

I think we can sum them up as: ‘will make it easier for people get around urban areas, at a relatively low price’

To be honest, I’m not really too bothered about the good/bad aspects of them, I just think they look like a lot of fun as well as being useful, and I’ll buy one if they legalise the use of privately owned ones.

[ddom]

CoolHands said:

I don’t care about injuries to e-scooter riders, I care about the poor sods they hit.

The selfish sods won’t care.

[FazerBoy]

NGee said:

jakesmith said:

Lord Marylebone said:

Essentially, the advantages of potentially avoiding some injuries via helmet use, were overshadowed by the population being less fit because they were put off cycling because of mandatory helmets.

I don't see how this argument makes sense. I am not the population of the country therefore I am not affected by the net disadvantage, at an individual level I can still benefit from wearing a helmet.

Whether you like it or not you ARE part of the population of the country. Assuming you pay taxes and use the NHS you will be negatively affected by the increasingly unfit population.

He might be a Freeman of the Land…

[Solocle]

speedyguy said:

That's a fair speed really, i am absolutely 100% for E scooters and the benefits they bring but i think they should be limited to 8mph with an absolute max of 10mph which is about twice walking speed, more like a jogging speed.
I think those speeds should be legislated for and anyone going faster severely dealt with.

Let's make E Scooters a force for good and a great alternative form of personal transport rather than something else 'haters can hate'.

My experience of riding escooters is that they're too sodding slow. The local hire ones are limited to 12.5 mph. When you emerge onto a big roundabout, it feels like it takes an age to get to the other side, junctions are the most hazardous place on the road.

On my bike I might cruise at 12-15 mph on a long ride, but I can hit 25-30 mph if need be, on a flat road.

If escooters were to be used on pavements, then a mobility scooter speed limit makes sense. But they're not, they're road vehicles. Frankly, I think a 20 mph speed limiter would be far more practical, and mean that there shouldn't be any need to overtake them in 20 zones.

Edited by Solocle on Wednesday 23 June 07:36

[Abdul Abulbul Amir]

silverthorn2151 said:

I just don't buy the argument that drivers don't give as much room to cyclists if they have a helmet on. Makes no difference to me so why should it to anyone else?

Their perception of potential injury if they cause an collision.

It was also proven that generally drivers give more room to cyclists they believe to be female.

[okgo]

Anyway, they won't be made a legal requirement any time soon, so who gives a st. Looking forward to my borough of London getting these next week!

[silverthorn2151]

speedyguy said:

silverthorn2151 said:

All of that stuff is interesting and makes you think.

when I'm on my escooter at a max speed of 15mph

That's a fair speed really, i am absolutely 100% for E scooters and the benefits they bring but i think they should be limited to 8mph with an absolute max of 10mph which is about twice walking speed, more like a jogging speed.
I think those speeds should be legislated for and anyone going faster severely dealt with.

Let's make E Scooters a force for good and a great alternative form of personal transport rather than something else 'haters can hate'.

To be honest, most of the time I'm at much less than 15mph. I have a nice time bummeling from A to B enjoying the sense of freedom and having fun. If I on a larger road I'm in a cycle lane and riding defensively.

I wonder how many of those passing judgement on this thread have ridden one? Genuine question with no agenda attached.

I would also go back to posts many pages ago that question the validity of any judgement based on inexperienced riders hiring one rather than those practiced riders who have invested heavily.

[anonymous-user]

Solocle said:

My experience of riding escooters is that they're too sodding slow. The local hire ones are limited to 12.5 mph. When you emerge onto a big roundabout, it feels like it takes an age to get to the other side, junctions are the most hazardous place on the road.

On my bike I might cruise at 12-15 mph on a long ride, but I can hit 25-30 mph if need be, on a flat road.

If escooters were to be used on pavements, then a mobility scooter speed limit makes sense. But they're not, they're road vehicles. Frankly, I think a 20 mph speed limiter would be far more practical, and mean that there shouldn't be any need to overtake them in 20 zones.

I agree, and have long thought that 18-20mph for both ebikes and escooters is a far more appropriate speed.

I have used the 12.5mph hire ones and they were too slow. Another 6 or 7 mph would help you flow a lot better with cyclists and traffic. 12.5mph felt hazardous.

The popular ‘illegal’ ones sold by Halfords such as the Xiaomi M365 and suchlike, are factory restricted to 15.5mph, and when you watch videos of people commuting on them in London, they tend to flow well at similar speeds to bicycles, with a few faster bikes passing them.

So in my view, 15.5mph should be the absolute minimum, but 18-20mph for both ebikes and escooters would be more practical.

[Cupramax]

Solocle said:

speedyguy said:

That's a fair speed really, i am absolutely 100% for E scooters and the benefits they bring but i think they should be limited to 8mph with an absolute max of 10mph which is about twice walking speed, more like a jogging speed.
I think those speeds should be legislated for and anyone going faster severely dealt with.

Let's make E Scooters a force for good and a great alternative form of personal transport rather than something else 'haters can hate'.

My experience of riding escooters is that they're too sodding slow. The local hire ones are limited to 12.5 mph. When you emerge onto a big roundabout, it feels like it takes an age to get to the other side, junctions are the most hazardous place on the road.

On my bike I might cruise at 12-15 mph on a long ride, but I can hit 25-30 mph if need be, on a flat road.

If escooters were to be used on pavements, then a mobility scooter speed limit makes sense. But they're not, they're road vehicles. Frankly, I think a 20 mph speed limiter would be far more practical, and mean that there shouldn't be any need to overtake them in 20 zones.

Edited by Solocle on Wednesday 23 June 07:36

I wouldn’t ride my bike down there let alone a 12mph scooter, it’s mad you’re not allowed to use the bike path which runs beside because it’s a shared pavement.

[silverthorn2151]

Lord Marylebone said:

Solocle said:

My experience of riding escooters is that they're too sodding slow. The local hire ones are limited to 12.5 mph. When you emerge onto a big roundabout, it feels like it takes an age to get to the other side, junctions are the most hazardous place on the road.

On my bike I might cruise at 12-15 mph on a long ride, but I can hit 25-30 mph if need be, on a flat road.

If escooters were to be used on pavements, then a mobility scooter speed limit makes sense. But they're not, they're road vehicles. Frankly, I think a 20 mph speed limiter would be far more practical, and mean that there shouldn't be any need to overtake them in 20 zones.

I agree, and have long thought that 18-20mph for both ebikes and escooters is a far more appropriate speed.

I have used the 12.5mph hire ones and they were too slow. Another 6 or 7 mph would help you flow a lot better with cyclists and traffic. 12.5mph felt hazardous.

The popular ‘illegal’ ones sold by Halfords such as the Xiaomi M365 and suchlike, are factory restricted to 15.5mph, and when you watch videos of people commuting on them in London, they tend to flow well at similar speeds to bicycles, with a few faster bikes passing them.

So in my view, 15.5mph should be the absolute minimum, but 18-20mph for both ebikes and escooters would be more practical.

I have an M365 pro and there was a work around available to me that unocked the limiter from 15mph (or more correctly 25kph) to something in the high twenties. You had to do the alterations before updating he softwear and it invaludated the warrenty. I didn't bother as 15mph is quick enough for me and my riding.

[Solocle]

Cupramax said:

I wouldn’t ride my bike down there let alone a 12mph scooter, it’s mad you’re not allowed to use the bike path which runs beside because it’s a shared pavement.

AIUI you can use escooters on shared use paths - basically anywhere a bike can go. Probably the better option at escooter speeds.

However, in that instance, on my bike, I tend to prefer keeping up with the flow of motor vehicles, which is often quite doable there, instead of dodging pedestrians, and then waiting for the pedestrian phase on a road that seems to prioritise motor traffic.

The path further up Hole's Bay is quite reasonable, and typically preferable to the dual carriageway in that location, since it has fewer pedestrians and no traffic signals, but then it's let down for my commuting purposes by the stretch through Upton Country Park, which is unsurfaced. One time I tried using the path, then cutting across through the service station before the mud hit, the footpath was closed. Which left me one choice to get to work on time - the NSL DC Upton Bypass.

[Northernboy]

When I lived in New York I’d ride horses. I’d go to the stables in Manhattan, get a horse, and ride through the streets to Central Park, and have a bit of a gallop.

I think that this was far more dangerous than e-scooters, but no-one was calling to ban it, or making me have a number plate or insurance, it was just accepted that it was a valid thing to do.

E-scooters should be the same. They are more dangerous than walking, but still not dangerous enough to ban.

[eccles]

How is a few people riding horses on the roads and in a park in any way similar to thousands of scooters on the roads and pavements in direct proximity to pedestrians?

[Dog Star]

silverthorn2151 said:

I wonder how many of those passing judgement on this thread have ridden one? Genuine question with no agenda attached.

I think they look fun, but I’m not even going near a (non-hire) one. At the end of the day, like it or not, right or wrong, they’re illegal in public. Six points is draconian, a very harsh penalty.

Ahm ooot!