Government Transport Committee says to legalise e-scooters

In a boost to those who wish to see private electric scooters, such as the Turboant X7 Pro legalised for use on private roads, the cross-party transport select committee has recommended that electric scooters to be legalised in the next 18 months.

The parliamentary group, comprising of a mix of Conservative and Labour MPs have released their report: “E-scooters: pavement nuisance or transport innovation” published on October 2nd, 

The committee says that e-scooters have the potential to offer a low cost, accessible and environmentally friendly alternative to the private car. 

Whilst supporting the introduction and use of e-scooters, the committee advises that current rental trials and any plans for legalisation should not be to the detriment of pedestrians, particularly disabled people.  

The committee calls for robust enforcement measures to eliminate pavement use of e-scooters, which the report says is dangerous and anti-social. If the Government supports the committee’s recommendation and decides to legalise privately owned e-scooters, the law should clearly prohibit their use on pavements and ensure that such enforcement measures are effective in eliminating this type of behaviour.

The Transport Committee further caveats its report by calling for a sensible and proportionate regulatory framework for the legal use of electric scooters, based firmly on evidence gained from current rental trials and from other countries.

The Department for Transport must also encourage the use of e-scooters to replace short car journeys.

The committee makes the following recommendations to the Government: 

• If the Government legalises e-scooters, users should not be required to have a driving licence for either rental or private use.
• The Department should monitor the number and types of collisions during the trials to determine future insurance requirements for rental and privately owned e-scooters.
• Local authorities should determine the speed of e-scooters in their areas as a ‘one size fits all’ approach will not work. 
• The DfT should use the data from the trials to determine which e-scooter design requirements are appropriate for UK roads.
• Helmet use should be encouraged for rental and privately owned e-scooters.
• The DFT along with local authorities should monitor the trials for problems emerging with abandoned e-scooters leading to ‘street clutter’.

Read the full report here: