Transport for London wants to see electric scooters legalised for use on public roads, as long as safeguards are introduced
Transport for London (TfL) has called on the Department for Transport (DfT) to “accelerate” its review into whether electric scooters should be legalised.
At present, E-scooters – also known as PLEVs (Personal Light Electric Vehicles) – can only be used on private land and are illegal to ride on public roads or pavements. That could change though, with the DfT announcing in March that the legality of PLEVs is being reviewed as part of the Government’s Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy.
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Now, TfL is calling for the review to be sped up, arguing that PLEVs should be legalised on the condition that safeguards such as speed limits and restrictions on where they can be ridden are introduced simultaneously.
Michael Hurwitz, director of transport at TfL, told the PA news agency that to say the current law was out of date would be an “understatement”.
He said: “We need the Department for Transport to accelerate their review to really put some safeguards around their use.”
Hurwitz called for PLEVs to be subject to a 12mph speed limit – the same as in Germany. He also said that they should only be allowed on roads, not pavements, and that there should be restrictions on where they can be parked.
In July, a 35-year-old woman was killed while riding an e-scooter when she collided with a lorry in Battersea. The following day, a 14-year-old boy crashed his PLEV into a bus shelter and suffered a serious head injury.
According to PA, the Metropolitan Police caught almost 100 people riding e-scooters on public roads during the week commencing 22 July. Most were given a warning, but 10 were reportedly fined for additional offences, such as going too fast or running a red light.
Commenting on the DfT’s review of PLEVs back in March, head of roads policy at the RAC Nicholas Lyes welcomed the potential to decrease congestion in urban areas, but warned: “Clearly, much needs to be thought through before electric scooters can be allowed to use UK roads legally. While improvements in technology are providing many new exciting transport possibilities, the key to gaining public acceptance must surely be demonstrating they can be used safely.”
Lyes went on to say that while electric scooters are convenient and affordable, the vulnerability of riders in the event of a collision is arguably even greater than that of those on bicycles. He added: “Care needs to be taken to ensure the safety of all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists, as new modes of transport gain popularity.”
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