Legalising Privately Owned Electric Scooters: Yes or No?

May I say my piece on electric scooters 😬.

 

I have and use one, and the experiment all began when in COVID/lock downs, cycle lanes were introduced to Kensington. This reduced four road lanes of car usage to two, from Hammersmith, through Kensington High Street into Knightsbridge. A whole road either side dedicated just for cyclists! Far different from the narrow cycle lane usually seen on London’s roads.

 

I knew this was going to frustrate me greatly as a car driver, so I needed to come up with a game plan to avoid using the vehicle where possible. Obviously, I could have opted for a bicycle. However, I was just not sure If I wanted to be cycling around to viewings and valuations particularly in summer conditions, and turning up all hot and bothered. I will be honest, I was allured by the techy but naughtiness of the presently illegal and privately owned electric scooter.

 

The decision was made. I ordered my electric scooter and I went about my business. Scootering on this dedicated road from Hammersmith to Kensington High Street was a liberating feeling. However, something concerned me - it was very evident that in the context of how much tarmac had been handed over to cyclist land, there were far too few cyclists using it. Meanwhile, on the other side of the divide, just too many cars were backed up in wall-to-wall traffic. I remember London Mayor Sadiq Kahn in an interview on LBC radio explaining that there would need to be a process of accepting and going  through  a gradual mindset shift from automobile to other transport modes. This was not going to happen immediately. It didn't and it was taking too long (it wasn't even close).  The road sized cycle lanes opened in and around COVID restrictions. Car driving was in theory quieter initially but things got noticeably worse quickly. The outcome was that after a few hundred thousand pounds had been spent on this project, Kensington and Chelsea council got involved and scrapped it all. The pretty cycle roads were stripped of their markings and the lollipop style bollards that stretched for over a mile on opposite sides of the road got removed. We are presently back to four lanes of car usage. This cycle Lane project only lasted for a couple of months.

 

It's a shame as environmentally, I got it, but frankly it came with catastrophic traffic issues.

 

So, I am left with my electric scooter. By this time, I was invested. I had developed a relationship with the scooter and I was confident on it. I certainly enjoyed attending my viewings in the sunshine on it. It was easy to fold down and pick up. With the investment made of £300 to £400, I was prepared to take the hit on my electric scooter's two threats. Firstly, it being stolen if I lazily left it around on an appointment, or secondly it being confiscated by the police (yes they are illegal).

 

I remember going into the Brompton bike shop and seriously considering one of their beautifully designed fold up things, but they were much more expensive (£1200.00 + ). I had settled with perhaps buying one should my electric scooter get confiscated.

 

Have I been stopped by the police? Yes, once...it happened in Hyde Park and I was given a warning. I have since stayed away from Hyde Park, as I found out that electric scooters here were an easy police exercise.

 

Have I been or nearly been hit by a car? Not yet 👏. Have I had a fall...yes, and it happened a stones throw from my office. I was on a path way and I went around a corner on a wet day (in the sports mode function) and a ground upwards facing gutter met me diagonally. I kind of tried...well I did...I tried to hop it and I completely wiped out onto the floor and was left with a long scrape up my leg and a number of bruises bouncing around to show for it. However, this happened in the early days, and I now perhaps think I needed this to just test my limitations 🤔. I rarely use the sports mode any longer, which is 15mph. I just don't think you need it in London. You can benefit from just going at a steady enough speed to be able to react timely (step off or stop without any abruptness). This for me is ideal on my scooter's regular mode at 10-12 mph. There is really no rush as I know I will arrive to a destination at similar time to a car user. I will stop at traffic lights, opt for the pavement when I feel exposed and just get off the scooter (and walk with it) as and when I feel like its etiquette to do so. I am acutely aware of pedestrians feeling irritated by a scooter coming from behind  them or towards them and the last thing I want to do is startle someone or add to the stigma associated with them.

 

As much as there is bad press associated with electric scooters, I do think they are questionably safer compared to cycling on the road. I would argue that cyclists with their legs pedalling and the natural swaying side to side motion of a cyclist creates a more complicated task for a vehicle to pass by. An electric scooter user travels with a much reduced width and linear line and this arguably makes it safer for everyone. Also, its much easier to get off a scooter (one can just step off). Cyclists can fall on their side if experiencing trouble.

 

Of course I have agonised with the stigma and the seemingly annoying fact that they are illegal. I have been yelled at by the public - on its very few occasions, always the same; a senior male outside of London (in fact my local town 🙈). It’s interesting that on these occasions that I have been met with an angry unwillingness to have a mutual, peaceful and rational conversation 🤷🏼‍♂️.

 

In conclusion, I am now publicly opening up about my electric scooter usage as the government have announced that they are consulting on legalising privately used electric scooters in May 2022. I personally have observed a lot of towns around the UK (including London) rolling out hire scooters. This has surely been a success story and a helping hand in normalising electric scooter usage over the last year. My thoughts set aside, it is clearly evident that Londoners are continuing to use private electric scooters in their 1000's. With a fuel bill of approx £25.00 per year, it's a calculated gamble that is too compelling to turn down.

 

A London with fewer cars would be cool. I think it would make the city obviously cleaner but more attractive and inviting. There must be a way to make this work. Cycling, skating, walking, public transport - its all happening. Very soon, privately owned electric scooters maybe part of this legitimate club and could play an important transport mode in the future.