Select committee: Transport Committee

Recommendation 17

Third Report: E-scooters: pavement nuisance or transport innovation? Published 2 Oct 2020 Paragraph 101 Addressed to Department for Transport
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Should privately-owned e-scooters be legalised, the Government should ensure that the law clearly prohibits the pavement use of e-scooters, that there are robust enforcement measures are in place and that such measures are effective in eliminating this behaviour.

From: Transport Committee, Third Report: E-scooters: pavement nuisance or transport innovation? (HC 255), paragraph 101, 2 October 2020

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 14 December 2020 (deadline 2 December 2020).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government welcomes the report and says evidence from the time-limited trials, running until autumn 2021, will inform decisions on whether to proceed with any legislative changes, and if so on what basis.

  • On the regulatory framework and driving licences, the government "partly agrees", saying it will understand impacts first and "will consider all the evidence from trials before making any specific decisions" on licence requirements, should e-scooters be legalised.
  • On pavement riding, it agrees and says it "is considering a range of options to monitor its extent"; if legalised, "pavement use would remain prohibited".
  • On environmental impact, it "partly agrees", noting that setting local sustainability objectives "was not a condition set by the Government", but agrees that environmental impacts be monitored.
  • It agrees to publish the central evaluation framework for the rental trials, saying that "Once finalised it will be made publicly available".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error