E-Scooters: I've seen it all now

John, a couple of months ago we were heading down the M6 from the M56 turnoff towards Knutsford and there was a guy riding an e-scooter, without a helmet, on the hard shoulder and texting or doing something similar on his mobile phone. We couldn't believe our eyes. I have no idea where he joined the M6 either. I thought that cameras viewing the motorway were always monitored.

Twice in the last week we have seen in our small town a man on a sitting down e scooter and as he is a small man no helmet and in dark clothes and when he goes around about difficult again to see him and not going that slow either no lights will get hit sometime.

Here in Lanzarote you take a risk everytime you walk along the sea front. 

Everywhere there are escooters, you can pick them up to hire all over the place and just leave them anywhere when you finish with them.

There has already been several accidents with them, the ones you hire here are big heavy machines so will do significant harm if hit by one.

There is a special marked area along the front for bikes and scooters but they do tend to travel at a great speed and wind in and out of padestrians as well.

Flipping nuisance in such a crowded area. 

It did cross my mind that they could be a good alternative for electric bikes in the motorhome, much more compact. I should perhaps pluck up the courage to try one of the hire ones in MK which is one of the places experimenting with them.

David

David, I don't see an electric scooter as an alternative to an Ebike..would anyone seriously consider travelling, say, 15 miles out and back on even B roads?

nipping to Tesco, perhaps, but no room for shopping...

They are everywhere in Spain now BB, campsite staff use them on some sites. 

There doesn't seem to be any restrictions on them, no helmuts, 2 or even 3 at a time riding them even children, not sure what age they are allowed. 

DK, when out in France/Spain recently we did see a few MH folk with scooters, seemed to be just for fun though. Not very practical for going and getting the shopping 

BB

We wouldn't go for a 15 mile bike ride anyway. Even electric bikes can cause problems when you have a knee condition!

David

E scooters are illegal in this country to ride anywhere except on private land with the landowners permission. The hire ones that are on trial in this country are the only ones you can ride legally in public areas at the moment, whether this changes after the trials is up to the government. 

Like many 'illegal' things the police are possibly, and unfortunately, forced into ignoring many misdemeanours because they are overstretched. Yesterday, a police car in a relatively slow line of traffic drove past a teenage girl riding an e-scooter on the pavement. There was no attempt to stop her.

If these potentially dangerous events are ignored, what are the police going to do about the new highway code rules that have come into force? The first is that any car turning left off a road must stop and allow any pedestrians, standing on the corner, to cross the road. The second is that in some circumstances (and I don't know what they are), cyclists must ride down the middle of their side of the road so that they can be seen by following motorists. Does anyone who approves these rules ever think of the possible consequences? Again, I don't think the police will ever bother to take any action following an infringement. They don't for most other highway code infringements even when repeatedly told about them.

Enforcement is not really the answer. We can’t uninvent e-scooters so provision will need to be made for them in future road schemes in the same way as cycle lanes. Some countries are quite good as it, the UK less so. In responsible hands and dedicated scooter/cycle lanes they seem a great way of getting around in urban settings.

I think cars have always been required to give way to pedestrians at junctions? Personally I think it’s a nice idea, but it’s much safer to assume it’s never going to happen. The statute book is full of ridiculous laws.