Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 19
19
The Department, working with local authorities, should closely monitor the trials to determine whether any...
Conclusion
The Department, working with local authorities, should closely monitor the trials to determine whether any problems are developing with scooters being left on pavements as ‘street clutter’. If so, the Department will need to trial and evaluate whether stronger regulation to specify where users must deposit rental e-scooters after their journey is effective in eliminating these problems. This ought to be done before making a decision on whether to legalise rental e-scooters on a more permanent basis. (Paragraph 109) Environmental impact
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government agrees with this recommendation. The issue of e-scooters contributing to street clutter is a genuine, valid concern for many members of the public, but particularly for those who are blind or visually impaired. A range of different approaches to e-scooter deployment and operations have been encouraged across e-scooter trial locations to help understand the implications of each. Free floating models, for example, whereby users can set down the vehicle after use in a very wide range of acceptable locations create convenience for users. However, they also run the risk of increasing ‘street clutter’ and contributing to obstructions which can be of particular risk to vulnerable road users. Use of docking infrastructure creates a more ordered parking environment for e-scooters, but may limit convenience to some extent and has cost and planning implications for local areas. A middle way, also being tested in national e-scooter trials, may be geo-fenced parking areas, which allow user journeys to end only when vehicles are parked in agreed zones. The trials are being constructed to allow for views and insights from a broad range of stakeholders to be heard, including users and non-users of e-scooters (including people who are blind or visually impaired) and from the towns and cities that are running trials with operators. If the Government chooses to legalise e-scooters in the long run, these insights will help ensure that any regulatory framework is suitably robust.