Changing the Queen’s Speech to legalize e-scooters on UK roads

The regulations are expected to impose strict safety conditions on electric motorcycles, including top speed, lighting requirements and possibly requiring users to wear helmets.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps had previously told MPs he wanted to “suppress the private market and ban the sale of e-scooters that do not meet regulatory standards”. He pointed out that once such standards are established, the rules could be changed to allow the use of private scooters on public land.

After the Queen’s Speech, a government spokesman said: “While riding privately owned trams on public land is currently illegal, we are looking at how best to design future regulations and our Transportation Bill will help us take the steps we need to make e-scooters safer and support innovation.

“Safety will always be our top priority and our tests are helping us better understand the benefits of properly safety-tested e-scooters and the impact of them to public spaces.”

There are currently 30 pilot programs going on around the country. Scooters used in the tests are limited to 15.5 mph and riders must have a driver’s license to rent them.

AA President Edmund King says that e-scooters can be a positive factor in greener transportation if managed properly. “With e-scooters and other forms of micro-mobility appearing more frequently on UK roads, it means safety should come first,” he said.

“If introduced with the right infrastructure, e-mobility can help bring about a positive change in greener localized travel for both individuals and last-mile freight.”

Stricter regulation of e-scooters has been welcomed amid concerns about a spike in the number of injuries and accidents involving the e-scooters.

According to government figures for 2020, one person was killed and 128 seriously injured in collisions involving e-scooters on public roads.

Data obtained by the Major Trauma Group from ambulance funds in England, Wales and Northern Ireland also shows there were 713 e-vehicular accidents involved by NHS ambulances in 2021, up from 392 cases of the previous year. The data also revealed that the number of patients referred to A&E following an e-vehicle crash increased by 40% between 2020 and 2021, with 173 patients referred to their local A&E in 2021.

Trevor Sterling, president of the Major Trauma Group, commented: “Only when all e-scooters are subject to the same rigorous safety standards will we see a reduction in possible incidents. prevention and less stress for the NHS.”

Martin Usher, Partner in the Personal Injury Team at Lime Solicitors said clear rules about e-scooters were a “step in the right direction”.

He adds his comments on legalizing the use of personal e-scooters: “We need to face the reality that traffic is growing and micro-mobility and scooters Electronic throttle will be on our roads, for better or for worse. Legalization offers a significant opportunity to enforce stricter safety regulations for personal e-scooters and improve education to ensure that all road users are access to green, safe means of transport.

“Private e-scooters are already used on the streets although this is illegal and these privately owned vehicles can be altered to achieve significant speeds at which entrants Public testing is not allowed, due to lack of proper regulation.”

James Attwood, editor of the consumer website Move Electric, said motorists are keen to see e-scooters legalized and properly regulated. “Our research shows that almost a quarter of drivers are in favor of making the tech road legal,” he said.

“Clearly the public wants to see technology properly regulated. More than three-quarters of respondents in favor of legalizing the technology would like to see e-scooters restricted to a top speed of 15.5 km/h and equipped with an audible warning system. Likewise, 72.42% want them to be banned from sidewalks and only allowed on the street to keep pedestrians safe.”