An e-scooter will continue to fall within the statutory definition of a motor vehicle. We will define the sub-category of an e-scooter as being a motor vehicle that:
is fitted with no motor other than an electric motor with a maximum continuous power rating of 500W and is not fitted with pedals that are capable of propelling the vehicle
is designed to carry no more than one person
has a maximum speed not exceeding 15.5 mph
has 2 wheels, 1 front and 1 rear, aligned along the direction of travel
has a mass including the battery, but excluding the rider, not exceeding 55kg
has means of directional control via the use of handlebars that are mechanically linked to the steered wheel
has means of controlling the speed via hand controls and a power control that defaults to the ‘off’ position
In addition, to achieve this, and in agreement with trial areas, we will issue vehicle orders under s44 and s63(5)–(7) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 for vehicles of particular operators assessed as being suitable to participate in trials.
E-scooters that already meet vehicle construction and approval requirements will also be able to be used in trials.
In this definition, after considering consultation responses, we decided to allow e-scooters to be used up to a maximum speed of 15.5mph. This matches the speed limit for EAPCs and geo-fencing technology could allow for greater flexibility for lower speeds, where appropriate, across trial areas.
We have also increased the permitted vehicle mass from 35kg to 55kg and removed from the original definition that an e-scooter should have ‘no provision for seating’ in order to allow seated variants to participate where they comply with our other requirements.
Finally, we introduced a maximum motor power – up from 350 to 500W.
The blind community (not entirely unreasonably) seem to be against EVs in general (including cars and motorcycles) from the little I've seen.
Fully in agreement.The blind community (not entirely unreasonably) seem to be against EVs in general (including cars and motorcycles) from the little I've seen.There are plenty of concerns with varying degrees of legitimacy, but taken together they tend to add up to wanting the motorised status quo.
I get particularly frustrated with attempts to block the creation of quality cycle infrastructure, on the basis that they'd rather cyclists go away than behave more predictably and reduce the number of cars on the road.
And, as with other disabilities, little recognition of the blind people who cycle (or would if they could do so without risk from motorists or endangering pedestrians on the pavement).
Of course, the reason we're talking about the RNIB here is that they're probably the only organised group who would go on record to object to e-scooters in a reasonable-sounding way.
ETA: probably I'm also misunderstanding what an e-scooter is.
There are plenty of concerns with varying degrees of legitimacy (I'm in complete agreement about dockeless hire, shared use paths, shared space, shoddy use of tactile paving, poor treatment of cycleways at bus stops, etc.), but taken together they tend to add up to wanting the motorised status quo, which doesn't help anyone.
If streets had proper places to park bikes
If streets had proper places to park bikes
...they'd be full of bikes (in varying states of decomposition).
This is the UK. Docks for hire bikes are more realistically achievable that a proliferation of decent cycle parking.
If a driving licence is required for an e-scooter, presumably that means you can get points on it for offences committed?
Back to the scooters, if they legalised people's own scooters, on similar lines to the existing EAPC legislation, people would lock them up properly (or try to) cos they're personal property.
Also, when are they going to turn their legislative eyes to the electric monowheels, skateboards and so on? As with e-scooters, these vehicles are here on the roads right now. Mostly, no one cares that they're illegal, least of all the police (here anyway). A general "lightweight electric personal vehicle" law could cover them all with the present speed, power and weight limits applicable to EAPC. Much better than getting into a faff and writing new legislation each time technology moves on.
Possibly. Hopefully. In which case, I wonder if they'll keep the 500W motor and 55kg – useful for hire schemes to ensure vehicles don't flat out on hirers but not necessary for personal use charging overnight or at work – or go back to something like 250W and say 25kg?Also, when are they going to turn their legislative eyes to the electric monowheels, skateboards and so on? As with e-scooters, these vehicles are here on the roads right now. Mostly, no one cares that they're illegal, least of all the police (here anyway). A general "lightweight electric personal vehicle" law could cover them all with the present speed, power and weight limits applicable to EAPC. Much better than getting into a faff and writing new legislation each time technology moves on.
I view this trial as a step towards that.
Being a hire scheme provides a level of accountability.
Which raises the question of what is the most socially beneficial option for Colin Commuter, the one we should legislatively encourage:Back to the scooters, if they legalised people's own scooters, on similar lines to the existing EAPC legislation, people would lock them up properly (or try to) cos they're personal property.
From observation, they tend to get folded up and taken inside at the destination, inna Brompton style (they're probably lighter and certainly less awkward than a folded Brompton). You occasionally see one outside a newsagent or takeaway, but then people regularly abandon their BSOs and BMXes without security in the same circumstances.
Possibly. Hopefully. In which case, I wonder if they'll keep the 500W motor and 55kg – useful for hire schemes to ensure vehicles don't flat out on hirers but not necessary for personal use charging overnight or at workAlso, when are they going to turn their legislative eyes to the electric monowheels, skateboards and so on? As with e-scooters, these vehicles are here on the roads right now. Mostly, no one cares that they're illegal, least of all the police (here anyway). A general "lightweight electric personal vehicle" law could cover them all with the present speed, power and weight limits applicable to EAPC. Much better than getting into a faff and writing new legislation each time technology moves on.
I view this trial as a step towards that.
Being a hire scheme provides a level of accountability.
500W/55kg/driving licence seems reasonable if it's a de-facto motorbike, rather than one of these skateboard-with-handlebar things.
500W/55kg/driving licence seems reasonable if it's a de-facto motorbike, rather than one of these skateboard-with-handlebar things.
I don't think any actual primary legislation has been passed by the commons or lords. So they've had to do this within the framework of what we already have.
It doesn't fit as a pedal cycle, so it has to be classes as a motorbike/moped etc... So what can they do within that framework? well it will need insurance, we can either ask everyone to get that, or if we limit it to hire units, the hire company sorts the insurance, base covered. But it's still essentially a variant of motor bike, so gonna need some sort of license, oh look provisional or full driving license covers that.
Oh, and lets throw a power/weight limit in cos we can.
Boom, all done without any primary legislation, just by modifying a few bits of paperwork that don't need voting on.
Solution solved at layer 10.
J
Eh? Your driving license hasn't covered you for any form of motorbike since ... [googles] ... 2001.
If you passed your test since Feb 2001 then yes, and you need to do a CBT first, which will take a day and cost about £120-150.
Eh? Your driving license hasn't covered you for any form of motorbike since ... [googles] ... 2001.
So I need a separate provisional license for a moped now ?
J
If you passed your test since Feb 2001 then yes, and you need to do a CBT first, which will take a day and cost about £120-150.
So I need a separate provisional license for a moped now ?The rules are so complicated the government produces a flowchart:
Yes, the rules about motorbike licenses have been ratcheted down quit a lot since I was a Hooligan.
Back in my day ( as best I remember ), passing a car test got you provisional licence up to 125cc, and then passing a bike test got you unlimited bike. End of story.
It's much more progressive now.
But I retain my grandfathered hooligan entitlements on my license.
I thought skateboard with handlebar, or rather, adult-sized version of child's kickalong scooter, but powered by electricity, was what we were discussing. If we're talking about something more like a miniature electro-Vespa, with a seat and proper brakes (fcvo proper), then that's a thing I didn't realise. In fact, I was wondering about parallels between the kick-along-ability and the pedal-ability of EACPs. In any case, it's still restricted to 25km/h.Possibly. Hopefully. In which case, I wonder if they'll keep the 500W motor and 55kg – useful for hire schemes to ensure vehicles don't flat out on hirers but not necessary for personal use charging overnight or at workAlso, when are they going to turn their legislative eyes to the electric monowheels, skateboards and so on? As with e-scooters, these vehicles are here on the roads right now. Mostly, no one cares that they're illegal, least of all the police (here anyway). A general "lightweight electric personal vehicle" law could cover them all with the present speed, power and weight limits applicable to EAPC. Much better than getting into a faff and writing new legislation each time technology moves on.
I view this trial as a step towards that.
Being a hire scheme provides a level of accountability.
500W/55kg/driving licence seems reasonable if it's a de-facto motorbike, rather than one of these skateboard-with-handlebar things.
Yes, the rules about motorbike licenses have been ratcheted down quit a lot since I was a Hooligan.
Back in my day ( as best I remember ), passing a car test got you provisional licence up to 125cc, and then passing a bike test got you unlimited bike. End of story.
It's much more progressive now.
But I retain my grandfathered hooligan entitlements on my license.
I dunno, the CBT is a minor expense compared to buying a bike, is a one day course rather than a test you can fail, and teaches you some basic minimal road sense before releasing you on a 125 for two years. I'd say that's a pretty good deal.
Getting a full licence is harder: you need to pass a theory and two practical tests for a DAS if you're over 25, and if you're under 25 you have to step up the tests for the different power bands with their accordant lessons, so it becomes really quite time consuming and expensive.
... what is the most socially beneficial option for Colin Commuter, the one we should legislatively encourage:E-bike. Has (Count 'em) TWO proper brakes, will work better on the road as they have proper pneumatic tyres (or a decent size) and you don't look like a cretin riding them.
a) Personal e-scooter stored under desk
b) E-bike locked up at Sheffield stand
c) Hired e-scooter left at dock?
Which raises the question of what is the most socially beneficial option for Colin Commuter, the one we should legislatively encourage:...I think this is an important point. Thinking about the desirability of specific vehicle types may not be the whole story. It's about people making choices between available options. Would I want to swap some SUVs for some e-scooters on the road? Yes please. Mostly, when I've been passed by (illegal) scooters, commuting in London before lockdown, it's made me smile much more than SUVs have.
The answer of course is d) Hire-purchased SUV left half on the kerb.
Kim, I think the issue with a bike-hire in Brum is that the centre is too small to require a bike hire and the trip to town is too far for most and keeping the number of bikes available topped up would be a pain. E-bikes would go some way to solve this, but based on how easily vandalised/stolen hire bikes are I'm not convinced that it's a goer (also keeping the right number of E-bikes in the right place remains a headache).
Definitely. I rather like the look of the monowheel things, they still look a bit Jetsons cool.Which raises the question of what is the most socially beneficial option for Colin Commuter, the one we should legislatively encourage:...I think this is an important point. Thinking about the desirability of specific vehicle types may not be the whole story. It's about people making choices between available options. Would I want to swap some SUVs for some e-scooters on the road? Yes please. Mostly, when I've been passed by (illegal) scooters, commuting in London before lockdown, it's made me smile much more than SUVs have.
The answer of course is d) Hire-purchased SUV left half on the kerb.
On the whole, I think that lockdown has demonstrated that a mixed road environment, with enough variety that drivers know that they are just one class of road user, with the same rights as everyone else but no more, is preferable to the monoculture that we sometimes seemed to be heading for beforehand.And this too. Shame it didn't last (though there are still more cyclists than before, here anyway. Probably in part because commuters are avoiding buses and kids are still off school.)
The rules explicitly exclude monowheels and e-skateboards. The licensing requirements are for a moped, motorcycle or car license (AM, A, B). Obviously, as with most e-bikes, it will be easy to defeat the speed limiter on personal bikes - this may (along with the insurance) be another reason why hire schemes are proposed. You aren't going to pick a scooter from the dock and try to hack it to go faster.That isn't going to make them disappear.
I think the assumption is that it's a motorised version of a kids scooter, because those are the scooters that are currently hireable in other european cities. Wonder if it's possible to get personal insurance for riding one. James Huang of CyclingTips crashed one and broke his 2 front teeth when in europe to cover a race last year (was it the TdF?).
Definitely. I rather like the look of the monowheel things, they still look a bit Jetsons cool.Which raises the question of what is the most socially beneficial option for Colin Commuter, the one we should legislatively encourage:...I think this is an important point. Thinking about the desirability of specific vehicle types may not be the whole story. It's about people making choices between available options. Would I want to swap some SUVs for some e-scooters on the road? Yes please. Mostly, when I've been passed by (illegal) scooters, commuting in London before lockdown, it's made me smile much more than SUVs have.
The answer of course is d) Hire-purchased SUV left half on the kerb.
I know. It wouldn't have been too hard to make the rules accept them though, which makes me think that the rental companies were only lobbying for scooters and don't car about them or even deliberately excluded them).The rules explicitly exclude monowheels and e-skateboards. The licensing requirements are for a moped, motorcycle or car license (AM, A, B). Obviously, as with most e-bikes, it will be easy to defeat the speed limiter on personal bikes - this may (along with the insurance) be another reason why hire schemes are proposed. You aren't going to pick a scooter from the dock and try to hack it to go faster.That isn't going to make them disappear.
I think the assumption is that it's a motorised version of a kids scooter, because those are the scooters that are currently hireable in other european cities. Wonder if it's possible to get personal insurance for riding one. James Huang of CyclingTips crashed one and broke his 2 front teeth when in europe to cover a race last year (was it the TdF?).
So it comes back to this being legislation aimed primarily at creating a commercial opportunity rather than opening up transport possibilities. Which is a shame. Nevertheless, we can hope that increased numbers of e-scooters will not only make the privately owned ones more acceptable (which they already are, really) but, due to their behaviour being more or less like a rather fast bicycle, improve traffic situations generally for cyclists and pedestrians.
Interview with the mayor on 'You and Yours, about 10 minutes before end:Wrong linky, it seems.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000kmjd (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000kmjd)
Interestingly the speed will be capped at "about 11 1/2 mph and two and three wheeled 'sit on' versions may follow.
Strange, the description of the programme content correctly lists the other items that were aired.Interview with the mayor on 'You and Yours, about 10 minutes before end:Wrong linky, it seems.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000kmjd (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000kmjd)
Interestingly the speed will be capped at "about 11 1/2 mph and two and three wheeled 'sit on' versions may follow.
Love the dualtron thunder. Have thought long and hard about getting a dualtron compact or a zero 10x. Would be doable to commute on them If I was being sensible, all I would need is a Ninebot g30 but with the scooterhacking app unlocking extra torque.
Obviously, if EUCs were legal, I'd get a Veteran Sherman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2OwOEHQ4vA?t=206
Heard a headline on the news that the trial is planned for Middlesbrough.
One hundred scooters will be available for rent in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool later in July, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-53272688
They're restricting it to the North-East initially, for some reason. And they're keeping it small. Very small.QuoteOne hundred scooters will be available for rent in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool later in July, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-53272688 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-53272688)
There was a lot of noise back in May about it happening in Brum, and now ...suspiciously nothing. It's the hire bikes all over again.Yeah, way I heard it it was a done deal. A great success for our regional mayor I believe.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=e-scooter+trial+birmingham
This is interesting. Wonder how the lawsuit went...So one lot of people get paid for leaving scooters in places and another lot of people get paid for taking them away. Is this what they mean by the circular economy?
https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/24/20696405/dockless-scooters-share-repo-men-repossessor-lawsuit-tow-yard-lime-bird-lyft-uber-razor
Venture capitalists.
They throw their money at these things (or someone else's money usually) and then we throw those things in the canal.
In the case of dockless bikes, venture capitalist is much more accurate. At least until after all their bikes have been thrown in the canal and they are broke.Venture capitalists.
They throw their money at these things (or someone else's money usually) and then we throw those things in the canal.
You seem to have a typo, did autocarrot mess with our post. ITYM Vulture Capitalists...
J
Venture capitalists.No canals in 'boro'.
They throw their money at these things (or someone else's money usually) and then we throw those things in the canal.
"Teeside Park" looks to be the kind of retail park shithole that's only reachable by dual carriageway, so the council only have themselves to blame for allowing the thing to be built like that.Not quite true. There are SEEKRIT CYCLEWAYS (with steps, natch :facepalm:) in to it. I think it's only the Tees Viaduct on the A19 which is not legal for cycles - although the signage unhelpfully makes the rule-obedient Mr Smith slightly guilty every trip as it bans cyclists, rather than cycling.
(and I think it's legal to cycle on those dual carriageways too)
A witness said: "A police officer was chatting to a young group of lads and another officer then wheeled an electric scooter into the police van.https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/emergency-services-called-edward-colston-4375276
"At first I thought it might have been a clash between protesters or something like that, but when I got closer I realised the incident was unrelated to the plinth, or at least it appeared that way."
A South Western Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "We were called at 5.32pm to an incident on Colston Avenue and attended with two ambulances. One patient was taken to hospital for further treatment."
When micromobility companies like Lime and Bird rolled into cities around the world in 2018, they promised to revolutionise the way people move around. They dropped dockless bikes and e-scooters onto streets from the United States to New Zealand, asserting that the convenience offered by a shared vehicle that could be left anywhere would help usher people out of their cars and around their city centres.Basically, bikeshare and similar schemes work better when the people in charge of them are the people in charge of the roads and so on, rather than a commercial enterprise.
But the system they vowed to disrupt has itself changed dramatically this year. People stopped moving around as the coronavirus spread, and their spending on transportation plummeted. Cars disappeared from streets virtually overnight, and support rose sharply for measures to keep it that way after cities reopen.
What’s playing out right now is nothing short of a transportation revolution – but somewhat unexpectedly, cities have a great deal of control over it. As they take urgent action to reshape their streets in an unusual moment, it’s clear that this change is possible without the micromobility industry that promised to make it happen.
Trotinette électrique
It's going well then... https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/escooter-trial-middlesbrough-hartlepool-tees-valley-ben-houchen-ginger-uk-first-a9649561.html
We might take inspiration from the Netherlands and end up with a three-tier system, where everyone hates BloodyCyclists and ScooterHooligans, but cyclists get to make themselves feel slightly better by looking down on the scooter users.
But unlike the Netherlands, tourists don't come to Britain for fucking... :oWe might take inspiration from the Netherlands and end up with a three-tier system, where everyone hates BloodyCyclists and ScooterHooligans, but cyclists get to make themselves feel slightly better by looking down on the scooter users.
And everyone looks down on fucking tourists...
J
We might take inspiration from the Netherlands and end up with a three-tier system, where everyone hates BloodyCyclists and ScooterHooligans, but cyclists get to make themselves feel slightly better by looking down on the scooter users.
And everyone looks down on fucking tourists...
Plus "There was Police tape across the road, I had to duck and enter the incident scene to avoid breaking it"Exactly. I think there's a story here which is, regardless of his vehicle, he was riding/driving like a moron.
What happened to riding at a speed at which you can stop in the distance you can see to be safe?
I was warned I was riding an illegal vehicle before, but carried on riding it. The second time I was stopped by the police (by riding into a scene of crime area) they confiscated my illegal vehicle. Boo hoo, it's not fair.
https://twitter.com/BhamUpdates/status/1304079688264871936
Wondering if I should go and try one before they end up in the canal...
ETA: I installed the app. It seems that you're not allowed to leave them outside the Middleway. So only any good for getting around the city centre. Which is small enough to be walkable for most people, and utterly impenetrable east-west. The scheme may fail without any help from the canals.
If the trial goes ahead in Wolverhampton my understanding is that the scooters will be 'geo-fenced' to within the ring road with corridors out to East Park, West Park and the Science Park (which is next to a canal).
If the trial goes ahead in Wolverhampton my understanding is that the scooters will be 'geo-fenced' to within the ring road with corridors out to East Park, West Park and the Science Park (which is next to a canal).
Will that be like the supermarket trolleys that lock up dead when you cross the boundary, or like the dockless bikes that just fine you / remove some kudos if you try to end your rental outside the zone?
used the 4 quid free trial code HELLOUK affixed to the scooter,So it's a hell ook. Probably no competition for Finestre and Jess though.
You should try one anyway... For science...
I do think you should try one and report back for our education and entertainment.
Abstract: It's got wheels and it's faster than walking.
Some areas (in this case pedestrianised streets that are legal to cycle on) are geofenced as 'Slow Zones' - the speed limiting automatically drops to about 6.5kph here, which is a fast walk. This is quite disconcerting when travelling uphill, as you feel that it's on the cusp of stall speed, which might be problematic for those with less good balance. You also get glared at by pedestrians, who appear not to be able to work out whether to fear that you're about to kill them utterly to DETH, or wonder why the fuck you're riding so slowly. Due to the foibles of GPS, you can't really anticipate exactly when it will leave the geofence, so the first thing you know is a sudden burst of acceleration.
When you go into the slow zones, what happens? does it just cut the motor? or is some sort of brake applied?
So you get no motor power at all in the slow zones and have to kick along? Or just reduced power?
And presumably the not starting the motor until it's rolling is to prevent people starting it up without anyone on board, sending it careering into random pedestrians and canals.
The speaker is surely for the annoying alarm asif flies into the canalyou evict it from blocking the pavement.
Does it have the annoying feature where the motor won’t kick in until you’ve got it going by leg power? I spent ages thinking the Lime one in Paris was broken.
You have to give it a kick (or let it roll downhill a bit) to get it moving before the throttle has any effect, which took a bit of getting used to.
Lots of people seemed to be using them when I rode through town this evening. I think I saw about a 50:50 mix of road and pavement use, likely on account of the inconvenient one-way roads and sporadic cycle infrastructure.
I think we're going to see a clutter problem, too. People don't seem to be considering pedestrians when they park them.
Total lack of surprise...
E-scooter firm Voi blamed a suspended trial on the UK's 'antisocial behaviour issue' and said it will fit vehicles with identification plates
An electric scooter scheme in Coventry, UK, has been stopped after locals reported riders weaving through traffic and mounting the sidewalk.
Voi, the Swedish e-scooter company operating the vehicles in Coventry and other UK cities, said it would install identification plates on all its scooters to "improve the ability of local police to report an issue or for CCTV to identify a vehicle."
Richard Corbett, Voi’s general manager for Britain and Ireland, told The Times that the UK had an "antisocial behaviour issue."
[snip]
News yesterday—some people said they were *almost* knocked down by someone on an escooter.
Offs
News yesterday—some people said they were *almost* knocked down by someone on an escooter.
Escooter trial halted.
Not news yesterday—a colleague of mine was *actually* knocked down by an Uber driver on a pedestrian crossing.
No one really gives a shit
News today—escooter riders seen mounting the pavement.
Escooter company to make big changes to stop this.
Not news today— millions of drivers mount the pavement with their several tonnes of car, leave it in the way, break the paving
No one really gives a shit.
Almost as if it's not the means of transport that's the problem, isn't it?Indeed. Idiots are going to idiot.
.
Some weird logic there. E-scooters ridden irresponsibly pose an additional risk to pedestrians. Just because some car drivers act like twats doesn't justify adding to the threat - perceived or real.
I've seen some really bad e-scooter action in London in recent weeks. Definitely unnerving for peds and potentially bloody dangerous.
^95% agree.I'm not sure that an electric scooter is slower than a non-electric bike as ridden by most people. But also, I don't think that's the reason for the legislation. It's mostly neophobia. Actually, that's unfair, as the illegality of the non-hire e-scooters is ignored in 99% of cases. There's an effort to create a commercial space for hire companies, but they'd do better to encompass them all under an adaptation of EAPC regs. <ob cynic>Maybe Dominic Cummings has a mate in the hire companies.</ob cynic>
It's "more sustainable" transport as opposed to more "sustainable transport". the main thing atm is less cars, so more space on roads for more road users. I don't get why something that is slower than a bike needs such harsh legislating.
Isn't it that they are less controllable than a bike? The stopping distance on them, as well as the chances of face planting being higher always struck me as the weak points.
Judging from your photo, it seems to have smaller wheels than most but certainly not all of the ones I see. It also looks a bit smaller overall though.
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/electric-scooter-rider-causes-traffic-18985671 :facepalm:
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/electric-scooter-rider-causes-traffic-18985671 :facepalm:
"Dangerously close to the tunnel walls." Wow.
Hire scooter schemes MUST have mandatory docks and agree about harsh enforcement about pavement scootering. The RNIB has been consulting on this for years but we keep allowing dockless hire schemes...
A group that uses magnets to fish metal items out of Birmingham's canals has been asked to help retrieve missing e-scooters.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c2w7p1q416dt/electric-bikes-and-scooters
...
Marie Collins, from the Peaky Dippers group, said it had helped fish one from the water and the company had "already told us where there's a few that need pulling out".
They've just launched in Bristol. I haven't tried one cos I'm disinclined to pay 20p a minute.
Meanwhile in Venice, West Mercia, they've started fishing them out of the Grand Lagoon with magnets.
A spokesperson from Voi said the company was against any acts of vandalism that could lead to pollution and was developing a "drowning feature" that would alert it immediately when a scooter ended up under water.
Scooters are limited to 10mph and in some areas – including around the Floating Harbour and in Broadmead – have their speed automatically reduced further.https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/e-scooter-hire-trials-begin-in-bristol/
QuoteScooters are limited to 10mph and in some areas – including around the Floating Harbour and in Broadmead – have their speed automatically reduced further.https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/e-scooter-hire-trials-begin-in-bristol/
I thought they were limited to 15mph?
On the evening before the start of the trial, I downloaded the Voi app to see one scooter already on the map – in the middle of the Floating Harbour near Pero’s Bridge.
Before using a scooter for the first time, I had to take a photo of my driving license via the app. Safety is obviously a top priority and the scooter automatically slowed down when I turned left off Anchor Road into the Harbourside development.
It’s a smart bit of technology. And if these scooters can do this, why not cars?
Voi, the company leading the e-scooter trial in Bristol, will offer anyone with an NHS identity, Blue Light Card or Defence Discount Service the chance to use the scooters free of charge during the second lockdown.https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/nhs-and-emergency-service-staff-can-ride-the-new-e-scooters-for-free-during-lockdown/
The new Bristol electric scooter trial is about to launch a second trial which would allow people to take them home and effectively ‘own’ them.
...
It is to be the second stage of the pilot scheme which allows electric scooters to be legally ridden on the roads of Bristol and Bath.
...
One big difference with the lease scheme, which is planned to go live in the New Year, is that it seems likely will be no restriction on areas that leased e-scooters can be ridden, given it is open to anyone in the West of England Combined Authority region.
Voi emailed all the people who have signed up to the app already, asking for an expression of interest in the lease scheme, which is set to cost £35 a month.
For that fee, people leasing an e-scooter will get their own to take home. The would be responsible for charging it each night, but Voi would be responsible for maintenance.
We've got one of those as well, strategically placed just outside the main (or not main, but busiest) exit from Temple Meads. No way of knowing (as far as I'm aware) when you see someone on a Brompton, whether they've bought or hired it, though.
We've got one of those as well, strategically placed just outside the main (or not main, but busiest) exit from Temple Meads. No way of knowing (as far as I'm aware) when you see someone on a Brompton, whether they've bought or hired it, though
Watching the scooterboys going past my window, I can't help wonder how they don't get frostbite. It's 21C in here an my fingers are cold. It's 2C out there, and they're whizzing around without any gloves.
I've got chilblains on my knuckles from a 20km ride in my "winter going to the shops" gloves[1] last week.
[1] Well-worn Aldi gloves from some years ago. Admirably durable, easy to get on and off, moderately warm when dry and completely hopeless when wet.
When it gets really cold I break out these:
http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/products/hi-vis-mitt/
J
When it gets really cold I break out these:
http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/products/hi-vis-mitt/
J
Maybe a daft question, but how do you change gear? I've tried mitts but found that I can't move the shifters easily.
When it gets really cold I break out these:
http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/products/hi-vis-mitt/
J
Maybe a daft question, but how do you change gear? I've tried mitts but found that I can't move the shifters easily.
Kim, I know you've complained of cold feet on the bent which warm up as soon as you stop and put them down; a circulation problem. Probably the same thing affecting your hands. My hands get cold if I sit for too long in classic "laptop on knees" position for a similar reason.
The next logical development will be "Alexa, change down to 6th gear".
The next logical development will be "Alexa, change down to 6th gear".
Another[1] application for DI2 automagic shifting?
[1] Other than people with no mechanical sympathy, for whom they seem to be genuinely useful.
The next logical development will be "Alexa, change down to 6th gear".
Another[1] application for DI2 automagic shifting?
[1] Other than people with no mechanical sympathy, for whom they seem to be genuinely useful.
I have the syncro shifting. It's brilliant. One button up. One down. And cos of the position on the upright of my bars. I can just slap the buttons. But they are also close enough together i can control both with the same thumb for one handed control.
When I was a budding motorcycle courier (before I got to know how to do it proper) I was sold a pair of Oxford Aquaprufe gloves as being watertight. They were too!! >:( >:( Filled up nicely they did, right to the top. Afterwards I learnt to use a pair of thin racing gloves that were short enough to slip inside the cuffs of my jacket. They didn't fill up, they were thin enough to dry fast and at a pinch I could put silk liners in them for the cold days (helped by muffs over the levers) Most of that (except the muffs) would transfer to a bicycle. I didn't ever have heated grips!I've got chilblains on my knuckles from a 20km ride in my "winter going to the shops" gloves[1] last week.
[1] Well-worn Aldi gloves from some years ago. Admirably durable, easy to get on and off, moderately warm when dry and completely hopeless when wet.
My winter gloves are altura night vision waterproof ones. Which are pretty good, they kept my hands warm yesterday at -2°C. But the waterproof thing is a bit of a misnomer. Yes they stop water getting from one side of the glove to the other, but that seems to only work one way. They fill up with water very easily, and then you can never get the bloody stuff out...
When it gets really cold I break out these:
http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/products/hi-vis-mitt/
Don't need them often, usually 1-2 rides a year, but when I do, I am exceptionally grateful to have them.
J
Avon & Somerset Constabulary traffic management unit boss Richard McKiernan told a remote meeting that he had expected carnage on roads and pavements during the West of England Combined Authority’s (Weca’s) pilot project.https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/police-chiefs-won-over-weca-4877525
Instead it has been a “policing non-event” and he has been “massively reassured” by the trial, which metro mayor Tim Bowles says will become vital in how we move around the region for generations to come.
offering incentives and encouraging riders to take Voi’s accredited e-scooter digital traffic school, which has trained over half a million users.
Oxfordshire is now doing a trial with Voi. 50 scooters based in Headington to start with - £1 fee plus 20p per minute. 10mph speed limit and only available 6am to 10pm.
https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/new-escooter-launch/
This sounds interesting:Quoteoffering incentives and encouraging riders to take Voi’s accredited e-scooter digital traffic school, which has trained over half a million users.
Why is it important to always wear a helmet?
a) It prevents your skull from fracturing
b) All of the mentioned
c) It prevents and reduces injuries
d) It can save your life in the case of an accident
whether you're colourblind
whether you're colourblind
Is this a "oi mate, didn't you see that light was red?" type question?
My amazement is almost as big as a fruit fly.Oxfordshire is now doing a trial with Voi. 50 scooters based in Headington to start with - £1 fee plus 20p per minute. 10mph speed limit and only available 6am to 10pm.
https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/new-escooter-launch/
This sounds interesting:Quoteoffering incentives and encouraging riders to take Voi’s accredited e-scooter digital traffic school, which has trained over half a million users.
I just had a go. First question:QuoteWhy is it important to always wear a helmet?
a) It prevents your skull from fracturing
b) All of the mentioned
c) It prevents and reduces injuries
d) It can save your life in the case of an accident
It rejected my answer "It prevents and reduces injuries".
...turns out it wants "All of the mentioned" :facepalm:
there is a motorbike style switch on the left bar. It's just that people are using them like car drivers do, "I am already turning" not "I intend to turn".That'll be "designed by Audi"
They seem comparable to e-bikes.As you'd expect, really.
Their standing-start acceleration is hampered by needing to provide a kick, which is down to the skill of the rider, but they do seem to accelerate quickly once in motion.Another point in favour of jumping the lights. :demon:
I think it depends on where you are. The Oxford rental ones are limited to 10mph, and that's properly slow, to the point they get overtaken by cyclists (and I think I've seen one get overtaken by a runner!). The private illegal ones vary - some seem capable of about 25mph and are more like mopeds.
On my trip into Yeovil to collect beer this afternoon, I noticed a row of scooters on the edge of the town. They're obviously hire ones, but I had no idea we were getting a scheme. Can't see me using them though, even if I do go back to working in the office. Wrong place for anything useful. Might give one a try just for fun.South Somerset Press Release (https://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/news/2020/10/south-somerset-district-council-launches-e-scooter-trials-with-zwings/)
Gave way to a pavement-scooterboy at a zebra crossing just now, and noticed that - in classic moped style - his left indicator was blinking away, long forgotten. So at least some of them have acquired indicators.
Police have issued guidance on what to do if you see an underage rider on an electric scooter.As I've previously mentioned, it's possible to hire one with a provisional driving licence which gives your age as 17. Not only that, this licence can be used to hire several scooters simultaneously.
Staple Hill councillor Ian Boulton revealed last week that the local beat team had informed him of recent reports of parents hiring Voi scooters for their children, despite riders needing to be at least 18 and have a valid driving licence.
Gómez believes that the new rules will give local councils a tool by which they can consolidate the so-called “80-20” model – 80% of vehicles should circulate on 20% of the streets, and vice versa.So, restrict most traffic to main roads.
In Oxford there are just have little painted boxes on the pavement where they are supposed to be left.
An innovation:
(https://www.ductilebiscuit.net/gallery_albums/voi01/2021_05_19_17_13_32.sized.jpg)
Ooh, very posh! And the side boards actually do serve a purpose in making it clear you can dock on both sides. Unfortunately not many pavements are wide enough.
Ooh, very posh! And the side boards actually do serve a purpose in making it clear you can dock on both sides. Unfortunately not many pavements are wide enough.
Stick it in a parking bay then...
E-scooters are all over the media today. Where I live there is a simple painted section not he pavement, which is supposedly a place to deposit e-scooters after hire. Let's be realistic - who is going to hire one of these things then cart it off to the nearest marked bit of pavement? Cahp on the telly said that the 'app' at end of hire would detect you were not at a drop off point and show you the nearest one.
Me, I think the things will still be left littering the pavements.
Voi, the operator of the electric scooters being used in Liverpool's year-long trial, said the machines would emit a "low hum" to alert other road users that an e-scooter was approaching.Missed opportunity. It's a scooter, should either sound of squeaky wheels or a wasp in a tin can.
QuoteVoi, the operator of the electric scooters being used in Liverpool's year-long trial, said the machines would emit a "low hum" to alert other road users that an e-scooter was approaching.Missed opportunity. It's a scooter, should either sound of squeaky wheels or a wasp in a tin can.
Cudzo - helmets are recommended by Voi, but with all these hire schemes (bike or scooter), people don't have a helmet with them - the whole point is that after a few seconds fafffing with an app you can just jump on and go wherever you are.
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/e-scooters-now-make-warning-20790295
Warning noise added to Voi scooters.
Last I heard Wolverhampton Council were still to make a decision on whether to go ahead with a e-scooter trial. Wonder how this will feed into their deliberations (or more likely their reaction to public opinion):
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/wolverhampton/2021/06/13/two-people-believed-to-be-riding-e-scooter-seriously-injured-in-wolverhampton-crash/ (https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/wolverhampton/2021/06/13/two-people-believed-to-be-riding-e-scooter-seriously-injured-in-wolverhampton-crash/)
You need a driving licence to ride a scooter? WTAF.They are a powered 2 wheeler - without the current "trial" hire schemes, to ride one on the public road you would need it to have an MOT, tax, insurance, and you would need the relevant motorbike/scooter licence and a motorbike helmet. I think that the car license thing is a way of ensuring some element of road knowledge, ruling out little kids using them, and tying the scooter to a human (so consequences are available). The whole bumf about how the "trial" schemes work in is the first few pages of this thread.
You need a driving licence to ride a scooter? WTAF.They are a powered 2 wheeler - without the current "trial" hire schemes, to ride one on the public road you would need it to have an MOT, tax, insurance, and you would need the relevant motorbike/scooter licence and a motorbike helmet. I think that the car license thing is a way of ensuring some element of road knowledge, ruling out little kids using them, and tying the scooter to a human (so consequences are available). The whole bumf about how the "trial" schemes work in is the first few pages of this thread.
You only need a provisional license, so no actual driving qualifications required. Is solely for ID.
Question: I saw somebody the other week nipping in to town to shop on an e-scooter. He has no legs due to an IED in a relatively recent warzone. Should he be allowed his freedom or should he be stuck at home?
UK road law is basically built around powered things like cars and motorbikes, and unpowered things like bicycles and horses. Legal e-assist bikes are a recent special case, and are limited in terms of power and speed, and only provide power when you are turning the cranks (hence the assist bit).You need a driving licence to ride a scooter? WTAF.They are a powered 2 wheeler - without the current "trial" hire schemes, to ride one on the public road you would need it to have an MOT, tax, insurance, and you would need the relevant motorbike/scooter licence and a motorbike helmet. I think that the car license thing is a way of ensuring some element of road knowledge, ruling out little kids using them, and tying the scooter to a human (so consequences are available). The whole bumf about how the "trial" schemes work in is the first few pages of this thread.
Maybe I misunderstand, the picture was of a scooter, one of those little things you stand on and, erm, scoot. Obviously with an electric assist, but still a scooter. As I don't hold a British driving licence I can't even operate a scooter, a skill most four-year-old can be gifted with.
Jesus people, will none of you protect me against this menace. At least 10 people have already been killed by e-scooters today, and I didn't even make up that fact at all.I'm not surprised at the death rate if they ride like this Mum and Dad, two up with the toddlers! :facepalm:
You only need a provisional license, so no actual driving qualifications required. Is solely for ID.
UK road law is basically built around powered things like cars and motorbikes, and unpowered things like bicycles and horses. Legal e-assist bikes are a recent special case, and are limited in terms of power and speed, and only provide power when you are turning the cranks (hence the assist bit).
So to summarise, way way back in the 1800s somebody invented a way to add two wheels to a beam of wood and thus create a velocipede.I don't recall anyone in this thread being upset about e-scooters (except the odd bit of inconsiderate parking/riding, which are a consequence of humans, not transport device)?
This caused much upset.
200+ years later many people enjoy riding their velocipede, and are upset that a different form of transport is hitting the headlines.
Yes, it is a stupid idea. The person you know is probably OK, in that most of the Chinese supplied aftermarket kits seem to default to hand throttle operation.UK road law is basically built around powered things like cars and motorbikes, and unpowered things like bicycles and horses. Legal e-assist bikes are a recent special case, and are limited in terms of power and speed, and only provide power when you are turning the cranks (hence the assist bit).The needing to turn the cranks thing is a relatively recent modification to the original BRITISH EAPC regulations, which permitted hand-throttle-only control, in order to harmonise the pedalec standard across the EU. E-cycles built to the older standard remain legal to operate by hand control, at least in the UK.
This is a IMHO a stupid idea. If it's limited to $speed and $power, it doesn't matter to other road users what the pedals are doing. Denying hand-only[1] control severely reduces their utility to disabled people, for the minimal safety benefit of a cycle that won't leap out of your hand[2] if you touch the wrong thing while wheeling it. I know at least one disabled rider who dreads the failure of his ageing electric-assist system, as he relies on throttle-only operation to be able to get home when his legs let him down without warning.
UK road law is basically built around powered things like cars and motorbikes, and unpowered things like bicycles and horses. Legal e-assist bikes are a recent special case, and are limited in terms of power and speed, and only provide power when you are turning the cranks (hence the assist bit).
The needing to turn the cranks thing is a relatively recent modification to the original BRITISH EAPC regulations, which permitted hand-throttle-only control, in order to harmonise the pedalec standard across the EU. E-cycles built to the older standard remain legal to operate by hand control, at least in the UK.
This is a IMHO a stupid idea. If it's limited to $speed and $power, it doesn't matter to other road users what the pedals are doing. Denying hand-only[1] control severely reduces their utility to disabled people, for the minimal safety benefit of a cycle that won't leap out of your hand[2] if you touch the wrong thing while wheeling it. I know at least one disabled rider who dreads the failure of his ageing electric-assist system, as he relies on throttle-only operation to be able to get home when his legs let him down without warning.
[1] You can have a hand throttle to control the power output a modern e-bike, but it needs to be interlocked with some form of pedal sensing to comply.
[2] Especially as the rules do allow for a 'wheeling mode' where the bike can be propelled electrically at less than about 4mph by hand control.
Even worse, I've seen parents do this just *pushing* their kids by *hand* in a flimsy so-called "buggy" in front of them. I mean, what chance have they got if an SUV hits them? Surely these death-traps should at least have air bags!Jesus people, will none of you protect me against this menace. At least 10 people have already been killed by e-scooters today, and I didn't even make up that fact at all.I'm not surprised at the death rate if they ride like this Mum and Dad, two up with the toddlers! :facepalm:
https://youtu.be/wXwmY2JRefo
(https://i.imgur.com/CzB06T9.jpg)They would be mopeds. Perfectly legal, once you have a numberplate, insurance, VED (zero, or close to) and a motorcycle helmet.
I saw one of these today, parked outside a shop as I walked past. The motorbike fat tyres caught my eye and then the two seats. A few minutes later it whizzed past me at a rate of knots. That is why I looked it up (here, on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Takmeway-55-60km-Electric-Absorption-Anti-theft/dp/B08BP7C3D1/ref=pd_sbs_3/262-7168592-8279763?pd_rd_w=9qeff&pf_rd_p=a3a7088f-4aec-4dbd-97cc-9a059581fe7b&pf_rd_r=ZMJ6YQ1S2FSWSTYEVG3Z&pd_rd_r=5bbb4c44-d7c1-4262-a587-8dd58c94d664&pd_rd_wg=ZnYwP&pd_rd_i=B08BP7C3D1&psc=1)) when I got home, noticing it can do 50kph (a bit over 30mph).
It is called both an e-scooter and an e-bike but it resembles a Vespa scooter more than a child's stand on, push along scooter. I would call it an e-motorbike. I wonder what governments will classify these as.
By the way, the description on Amazon made me laugh. It is described as light weight, easy to take upstairs, yet the net weight is 58kg. Have you ever tried carrying 58kg upstairs?
They would be mopeds. Perfectly legal, once you have a numberplate, insurance, VED (zero, or close to) and a motorcycle helmet.Before you can get a numberplate you would need to get motorcycle single vehicle approval from the DVSA, unless the manufacturer has already had the vehicle type approved (unlikely). In addition, 50kph might be too much to be a moped so it may have to be a motorcycle.
Your <sarcasm> is completely justified. Some years ago I had the misfortune to own a Tomos 50cc moped (complete with pedals) and it was the most terrifying vehicle, powered or otherwise, I've ever used. It wasn't the thing itself, but that it could only just do 30mph, and had bugger all acceleration. Close passes? Beeps? Tailgating? Yep, all of them.
<sarcasm>As they can do 30 mph, they won't slow down any cars in town, so anyone driving them won't be hooted at for annoying drivers, or close passed, or told that they need insurance, tax and to stop jumping red lights.</sarcasm>
[1] You can have a hand throttle to control the power output a modern e-bike, but it needs to be interlocked with some form of pedal sensing to comply.Unless the shop supplies a kit for the purchaser and then it can have a throttle the chap at Woosh Cycles of Southend told me.
[1] You can have a hand throttle to control the power output a modern e-bike, but it needs to be interlocked with some form of pedal sensing to comply.Unless the shop supplies a kit for the purchaser and then it can have a throttle the chap at Woosh Cycles of Southend told me.
He cannot fit a kit with the hand throttle included, nor supply an bike with a fitted throttle from his business but he can supply kits with throttles.
We’d like to make you aware of some important modifications to your local Voi service.
In Birmingham City Centre, we are making some changes to how you collect and park our e-scooters. We will be moving to a mandatory parking model. So what does this mean for you? You will now have to end your ride in one of the mandatory parking zones (as shown below) in the app. You will be unable to lock your scooter outside of these bays.
Please remember it’s your responsibility as a Voi rider to think before you park. We hope this new way of parking will help keep Voi’s parked tidily across the city centre.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our User Support team on support@voiapp.io.
(https://i.imgur.com/CzB06T9.jpg)They would be mopeds. Perfectly legal, once you have a numberplate, insurance, VED (zero, or close to) and a motorcycle helmet.
I saw one of these today, parked outside a shop as I walked past. The motorbike fat tyres caught my eye and then the two seats. A few minutes later it whizzed past me at a rate of knots. That is why I looked it up (here, on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Takmeway-55-60km-Electric-Absorption-Anti-theft/dp/B08BP7C3D1/ref=pd_sbs_3/262-7168592-8279763?pd_rd_w=9qeff&pf_rd_p=a3a7088f-4aec-4dbd-97cc-9a059581fe7b&pf_rd_r=ZMJ6YQ1S2FSWSTYEVG3Z&pd_rd_r=5bbb4c44-d7c1-4262-a587-8dd58c94d664&pd_rd_wg=ZnYwP&pd_rd_i=B08BP7C3D1&psc=1)) when I got home, noticing it can do 50kph (a bit over 30mph).
It is called both an e-scooter and an e-bike but it resembles a Vespa scooter more than a child's stand on, push along scooter. I would call it an e-motorbike. I wonder what governments will classify these as.
By the way, the description on Amazon made me laugh. It is described as light weight, easy to take upstairs, yet the net weight is 58kg. Have you ever tried carrying 58kg upstairs?
<sarcasm>As they can do 30 mph, they won't slow down any cars in town, so anyone driving them won't be hooted at for annoying drivers, or close passed, or told that they need insurance, tax and to stop jumping red lights.</sarcasm>
The following just landed in my inbox:Does that mean actual docking or just parking within a defined area? And if the latter, how tight are the areas – are they specific zones on the pavement (or even road) or are they just "this street not that street"?Quote from: VoiWe’d like to make you aware of some important modifications to your local Voi service.
In Birmingham City Centre, we are making some changes to how you collect and park our e-scooters. We will be moving to a mandatory parking model. So what does this mean for you? You will now have to end your ride in one of the mandatory parking zones (as shown below) in the app. You will be unable to lock your scooter outside of these bays.
Please remember it’s your responsibility as a Voi rider to think before you park. We hope this new way of parking will help keep Voi’s parked tidily across the city centre.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our User Support team on support@voiapp.io.
Unless it was pedal assist (and limited to 250W, and no e-assist above 15.5mph), that's just wrong.(https://i.imgur.com/CzB06T9.jpg)They would be mopeds. Perfectly legal, once you have a numberplate, insurance, VED (zero, or close to) and a motorcycle helmet.
I saw one of these today, parked outside a shop as I walked past. The motorbike fat tyres caught my eye and then the two seats. A few minutes later it whizzed past me at a rate of knots. That is why I looked it up (here, on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Takmeway-55-60km-Electric-Absorption-Anti-theft/dp/B08BP7C3D1/ref=pd_sbs_3/262-7168592-8279763?pd_rd_w=9qeff&pf_rd_p=a3a7088f-4aec-4dbd-97cc-9a059581fe7b&pf_rd_r=ZMJ6YQ1S2FSWSTYEVG3Z&pd_rd_r=5bbb4c44-d7c1-4262-a587-8dd58c94d664&pd_rd_wg=ZnYwP&pd_rd_i=B08BP7C3D1&psc=1)) when I got home, noticing it can do 50kph (a bit over 30mph).
It is called both an e-scooter and an e-bike but it resembles a Vespa scooter more than a child's stand on, push along scooter. I would call it an e-motorbike. I wonder what governments will classify these as.
By the way, the description on Amazon made me laugh. It is described as light weight, easy to take upstairs, yet the net weight is 58kg. Have you ever tried carrying 58kg upstairs?
<sarcasm>As they can do 30 mph, they won't slow down any cars in town, so anyone driving them won't be hooted at for annoying drivers, or close passed, or told that they need insurance, tax and to stop jumping red lights.</sarcasm>
I haven't looked up the legislation as I don't have the time nor interest. At the weekend I was out and saw a "typical moped" as we've seen for years. Front fairing, seat, top box on back, weaving in traffic, rider in full face helmet, etc.
What caught my eye was a lack of numberplate. Instead it had a rear yellow plate saying "electric bike, no need for registration".
I haven't looked up the legislation as I don't have the time nor interest. At the weekend I was out and saw a "typical moped" as we've seen for years. Front fairing, seat, top box on back, weaving in traffic, rider in full face helmet, etc.Unless it was pedal assist (and limited to 250W, and no e-assist above 15.5mph), that's just wrong.
What caught my eye was a lack of numberplate. Instead it had a rear yellow plate saying "electric bike, no need for registration".
I haven't looked up the legislation as I don't have the time nor interest. At the weekend I was out and saw a "typical moped" as we've seen for years. Front fairing, seat, top box on back, weaving in traffic, rider in full face helmet, etc.Unless it was pedal assist (and limited to 250W, and no e-assist above 15.5mph), that's just wrong.
What caught my eye was a lack of numberplate. Instead it had a rear yellow plate saying "electric bike, no need for registration".
Nevertheless, compliant e-bikes that look like motorcycles are very much A Thing. The pedalling is conspicuous.
I haven't looked up the legislation as I don't have the time nor interest. At the weekend I was out and saw a "typical moped" as we've seen for years. Front fairing, seat, top box on back, weaving in traffic, rider in full face helmet, etc.Unless it was pedal assist (and limited to 250W, and no e-assist above 15.5mph), that's just wrong.
What caught my eye was a lack of numberplate. Instead it had a rear yellow plate saying "electric bike, no need for registration".
Nevertheless, compliant e-bikes that look like motorcycles are very much A Thing. The pedalling is conspicuous.
This guy looked like any other moped rider. Full face helmet and bike gear, feet flat on floor pan and I saw no action other a twist of the wrist. But he/she was gone before I could look further.
If you are looking to gen up on the law re e-scooters then this should be a good start:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000x6wh (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000x6wh)
The driver of the e-scooter who was in a collision in Wolverhampton a few days ago has died from his injuries; calls starting for all scooters (in a trial scheme or otherwise) to be banned. Andy Street is saying politely 'not going to happen':
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/birmingham/2021/06/22/five-serious-e-scooter-injuries/ (https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/birmingham/2021/06/22/five-serious-e-scooter-injuries/)
Sarah Gayton, street access campaigns coordinator for the National Federation of the Blind of the UK, made up some facts to support her arguments. 'Many people have emailed me their support,' she then went on to say.
The driver of the e-scooter who was in a collision in Wolverhampton a few days ago has died from his injuries;
The driver of the e-scooter who was in a collision in Wolverhampton a few days ago has died from his injuries;
You seem to have deleted the car from your summary.
The following just landed in my inbox:Quote from: VoiWe’d like to make you aware of some important modifications to your local Voi service.
In Birmingham City Centre, we are making some changes to how you collect and park our e-scooters. We will be moving to a mandatory parking model. So what does this mean for you? You will now have to end your ride in one of the mandatory parking zones (as shown below) in the app. You will be unable to lock your scooter outside of these bays.
Please remember it’s your responsibility as a Voi rider to think before you park. We hope this new way of parking will help keep Voi’s parked tidily across the city centre.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our User Support team on support@voiapp.io.
So now you can't take a scooter to the shops, lock it while you shop, then come out and take it home...
No, it's a hire scooter. You take it from where you hired it to where you are allowed to leave it and walk away. If you want to scoot onwards, you get another (or the same one) from the scooter box. In the nearby shops there are probably 4 different locations within 100 yards where you can leave/collect a scooter, so (possible ableism here) it's not a big deal to walk to the shops you need.
So now you can't take a scooter to the shops, lock it while you shop, then come out and take it home...
That seems like a flaw...
No, it's a hire scooter. You take it from where you hired it to where you are allowed to leave it and walk away. If you want to scoot onwards, you get another (or the same one) from the scooter box. In the nearby shops there are probably 4 different locations within 100 yards where you can leave/collect a scooter, so (possible ableism here) it's not a big deal to walk to the shops you need.
Though Kim's solution is probably functional as well - if you leave the meter running then it will let you leave it anywhere. You just have to pay for that time (and hope no-one nicks it). I'm not sure the scooter companies would be happy with anyone locking up their scooter without the meter running - that stops them from making money from someone else from using it.
If your use case is going home then you still have to get from the dock to your home. And if there are a number of devices at the docks, why does it matter which one you use for any given leg of the journey?No, it's a hire scooter. You take it from where you hired it to where you are allowed to leave it and walk away. If you want to scoot onwards, you get another (or the same one) from the scooter box. In the nearby shops there are probably 4 different locations within 100 yards where you can leave/collect a scooter, so (possible ableism here) it's not a big deal to walk to the shops you need.
Though Kim's solution is probably functional as well - if you leave the meter running then it will let you leave it anywhere. You just have to pay for that time (and hope no-one nicks it). I'm not sure the scooter companies would be happy with anyone locking up their scooter without the meter running - that stops them from making money from someone else from using it.
No, that's not the use case. If you are going to the shop, you want to be able to go both ways on the same device. And you want to be able to go to shops that perhaps are not next to a dock.
If you can keep the meter running and lock the device, that is expected behaviour. If you can't, that's just knobbling it's functionality.
If your use case is going home then you still have to get from the dock to your home. And if there are a number of devices at the docks, why does it matter which one you use for any given leg of the journey?
If the problem is people dumping scooters in the middle of the pavement, I'm not sure how being able to lock it in any location with the meter running solves that problem.
It works as Kim has described in the parts of Oxford that have these scooters currently. Because they don't have to have any physical infrastructure, just painted boxes, there are docks in the shopping area at fairly regular intervals. I'd guess that the front of any shop is within 40m of a dock. Given you probably had to walk significantly further to get on the scooter, that seems to be reasonable. Whether they will be able to achieve this density of docks when they expand the trial remains to be seen, but if they don't and you can clog up pavements with them, they will be canned pretty quickly.If your use case is going home then you still have to get from the dock to your home. And if there are a number of devices at the docks, why does it matter which one you use for any given leg of the journey?
If the problem is people dumping scooters in the middle of the pavement, I'm not sure how being able to lock it in any location with the meter running solves that problem.
What if your target shop does not have a nearby dock?
What's the difference between the geodock and having to replace a Boris Bike in an official location?Nothing other than the frequency/availability of docking locations as far as I can tell.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/21/three-year-old-girl-left-with-life-changing-injuries-after-being-hit-by-e-scooter-in-london
Are these sorts of events going to remain rare enough that they are news, or become so commonplace they are treated like deaths/injuries cause by cars and mostly ignored by the press?
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/21/three-year-old-girl-left-with-life-changing-injuries-after-being-hit-by-e-scooter-in-london
Are these sorts of events going to remain rare enough that they are news, or become so commonplace they are treated like deaths/injuries cause by cars and mostly ignored by the press?
Some of the unregulated (private) e-scooters can easily achieve 30mph. But that's still half the top speed and a fraction the weight of the slowest and lightest car.Haven't seen a car on the Bristol-Bath railway path. Yet.
Only because of the bollards.Some of the unregulated (private) e-scooters can easily achieve 30mph. But that's still half the top speed and a fraction the weight of the slowest and lightest car.Haven't seen a car on the Bristol-Bath railway path. Yet.
Weca says more than 370,000 car journeys have been replaced since the start of the experiment in October last year, reducing more than 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.In addition to not having figures for public transport journeys replaced by e-scooters, the glaring omissions are newly created journeys and taxis. I expect that a lot of the evening usage replaces taxis that students and other yps would have taken back from clubs and pubs, and a fair few are just because. There's also no information about where the figures come from: was it a survey of Voi hirers or is it somehow calculated from changes in other traffic figures?
It says 44% cent of journeys would otherwise have been walked, 6% cycled and 31% driven, but that riders use e-scooters to go to gyms and leisure facilities.
There are no statistics yet for public transport, which is struggling to recover from the pandemic, but the combined authority says e-scooters are used to complement buses and train trips.
I certainly find them twitchy. Much more so than, say, an M-type Brompton. OTOH, I have a lot of bike riding experience and very little scooter experience, so maybe you get used to it?
This reminds me, I ought to dust off the Sinclair A-Bike and go for a ride.... What a most ridiculous thing I ever bought.I certainly find them twitchy. Much more so than, say, an M-type Brompton. OTOH, I have a lot of bike riding experience and very little scooter experience, so maybe you get used to it?
Tiny wheels, practically zero trail, high centre of gravity. Of course they're going to be twitchy!
Or 'manoeuvrable', to put it in marketing terms.
I guess you could compensate with extremely wide handlebars, but then you would look even more ridiculous while riding one.
My two biggest fears with regard to e-scooters, and what most puts me off riding them, is what happens when you hit a pothole, and what happens when you need to stop quickly.
My two biggest fears with regard to e-scooters, and what most puts me off riding them, is what happens when you hit a pothole, and what happens when you need to stop quickly.
More than a thousand e-scooter riders in Liverpool have been banned for 7 days because of dangerous or anti-social driving.
Does not clarify if this was a trial scooter or not, not that it matters!:
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2021/08/27/drunk-e-scooter-rider-stopped-by-police-while-using-motorway-to-get-home/ (https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2021/08/27/drunk-e-scooter-rider-stopped-by-police-while-using-motorway-to-get-home/)
On five occasions, that article refers to the scooterist as "the/a male". Someone keep Quixoticgeek away!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarggggggggggh! Who let you in here so quickly? You obviously have extremely sensitive Ferengi-dar!
On five occasions, that article refers to the scooterist as "the/a male". Someone keep Quixoticgeek away!
:thumbsup:Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarggggggggggh! Who let you in here so quickly? You obviously have extremely sensitive Ferengi-dar!
I aim to please!
J
I think that's highly probable on both counts.On five occasions, that article refers to the scooterist as "the/a male". Someone keep Quixoticgeek away!
Clearly a police-ism in this context. Presumably they're regurgitating a press release.
(Makes me wonder where that police-ism originated. Possibly a deliberate avoidance of using 'man' or 'woman' to describe people who may be under 18?)
We are yet again urging people not to ride either Beryl or privately-owned e-scooters inside the festival site because of the sheer number of people in the area and to help keep people safe.
“Throughout this weekend our officers and council staff will be stopping people riding e-scooters inside the festival site area. If they are privately-owned, they will be seized and if they are part of the Beryl scheme, riders will be encouraged to dismount. Should they commit any offences they will be dealt with under the Road Traffic Act.”
we wouldn't have so much anti-cyclist hatred amongst the non-cycling population.I've heard that often, but have yet to see any supporting evidence.
we wouldn't have so much anti-cyclist hatred amongst the non-cycling population.I've heard that often, but have yet to see any supporting evidence.
In those countries where cycling is much more commonplace and the hatred less, I haven't noticed any corresponding improvement in individual's behaviour.
I don't believe that any children were injured by cars in a pedestrianised area which would have been extremely crowded (based on my experience of that air show several years ago) and where (from memory) cycling is banned during the day to protect pedestrians. That was one thing that cropped up when we were discussing the Southend seafront path, a long straight wide promenade which is an ideal cycle route, but during summer cyclists cannot use it during the day.Roughly 40 people a year are killed by cars on pavements or pedestrian refuges:
we wouldn't have so much anti-cyclist hatred amongst the non-cycling population.I've heard that often, but have yet to see any supporting evidence.
In those countries where cycling is much more commonplace and the hatred less, I haven't noticed any corresponding improvement in individual's behaviour.
But then airport staff the world over drive large electric vehicles through crowded spaces.
One future solution could be to install e-scooter parking zones in place of car parking spaces on roads.
In June a new set of measures were introduced to reduce the risk of accidents. They include:I think the parking restrictions are a good idea and wish they'd get around to introducing similar in Bristol. Docks are probably slightly more effective than bays (referring to parking in both cases, not the watery areas things like this otherwise end up in) but either would be an improvement.
New painted parking bays added across Liverpool, with a plans for more than 400 over the coming months – and £25 fines will continue to be issued for illegal or dangerous parking.
At weekends use of the e-scooters will be more controlled, with certain additional areas designated as ‘no riding zones’ and a full stop of the service after 9pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Stronger enforcement of Voi’s strike policy – users breaking rules of the road will be issued temporary (one week, one month) or permanent bans.
A shift from the free-floating model, where users can park wherever they choose within reason, to one where they will be required to park in specific parking zones in most areas.
[size=78%] You see (here, not in Liverpool I guess) little flotillas of scooters heading into town on a Saturday night, [/size]
“People say they love whizzing across Bristol on e-scooters up and down our steep hills,” said the Metro Mayor. “But there are also concerns from other road users and pedestrians. I believe effective enforcement is key to ensure safety and my guess is that new carefully thought through legislation will be needed from the government,” he added.
The Government will decide on one of three broad options: either end the hire trials and continue the ban on e-scooters of any kind; allow e-scooters, but only if hired in schemes like the Voi one, or allow both hired and privately-owned e-scooters to be ridden on roads.
If that third option is pursued, then there will be decisions to be made on the level of regulation - whether, for instance, e-scooters will be treated in the same way as mopeds, with requirements for MoTs, number plates, crash helmets, driving licences and insurance, for example, or whether they are treated like electric bicycles, with much less regulation
I'm not sure it's sensible to think about one kind of transport in isolation.
It may well be impossible to build an electric skateboard/unicycle/hovercraft/etc with braking appropriate for 15mph. I'd suggest that these should either conform to the walking-speed class, or remain illegal to operate on the public highway.I used to see a fair number of these riding on the road and doing about 15mph. I suggest we might call them e-boards as a generic term to encompass the various numbers and layouts of wheels, shapes and riding positions etc. Well, I'm going to, until someone comes up with a better term (maybe the next post). I haven't seen many recently though. Either they've migrated to electric scooters or they were commuters who are now wfh (or equally my habits have changed). I've never seen one do a rapid stop. But then you very rarely see any vehicle actually do an emergency stop. I dare say that for the more vertical ones, especially with only one wheel, the quickest stop technique is to jump off.
Maybe, if you want to keep it generic, there should be a braking requirement as well? Bikes at present are, IIRC, supposed to have efficient brakes, without that being defined particularly closely. So it shouldn't be impossible to have some basic braking requirement to keep a vehicle in the "bike" class. Might have to take account of mass, or more specifically of kinetic energy, as electric vehicles can be quite heavy, but even they probably don't weigh that much by comparison with the rider.
Maybe we need some kind of vision requirement for the faster machines?
Maybe we need some kind of vision requirement for the faster machines?
Does that include pedal cycles?
- Limited to walking speed, but allowed on pavements, footpaths, etc. No licencing, insurance or PPE requirements. (Roughly the UK Class 2 Invalid Carriage, but I'd include things like ride-on toys for small children or powered trolleys for delivering stuff)
- Limited to reasonable cycling speed (the EU standard 25kph/250W seems eminently sensible) and treated as legally equivalent to bicycles - so no requirements for licencing, insurance or PPE, but age restricted and some construction and use rules pertaining to roadworthiness (brakes, lights, etc).
- Possibly some sort of ~30mph moped class (like the Speed Pedelecs they have in some European countries), with number-plate, licencing and insurance requirements, but more bicycle-style construction and use, and minimal barriers to ownership compared to true motorcycles.
- Everything else is a motor vehicle.
And now they’re trying to incinerate the public transport system of London’s Famous London! (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-59148069). Ban this sick filth!
"They are not safe for riders, pedestrians and now to passengers on public transport," said Mr Hodgson, whose charity campaigns against the use of e-scooters in public places.Let's replace them with a safer means of propulsion. I dunno, how about burning vapourising a flammable liquid and setting fire to it? And then making it propel something weighing a several of tons at a speed faster than the branez of a small child can process? Does that sound safe? Problem is no one thinks of scooters, whether kickalong, electric or petrol, as alternatives to cars, but alternatives to walking and cycling.
TBF, you're not going to tuck your Range Rover under your arm as you whistle your way merrily onto the District Line.
In my home town e scooters are still illegal. This generally means most are operated by yoofs and hoodlums including one lad who has a face mask on I'm guessing to avoid ID
However I see one regularly in my dog walk. Youngish lady, helmet on and lights who lives in flats with limited parking. It's also pretty early so guess she works nights so probably feels a damn site (sight?) Safer at 15mph then her walking speed. She operates it responsibly but is technically as illegal as the idiots who were probably idiots on bikes and will probably become idiots on dirtbikes and then cars
In my home town e scooters are still illegal. This generally means most are operated by yoofs and hoodlums including one lad who has a face mask on I'm guessing to avoid ID
However I see one regularly in my dog walk. Youngish lady, helmet on and lights who lives in flats with limited parking. It's also pretty early so guess she works nights so probably feels a damn site (sight?) Safer at 15mph then her walking speed. She operates it responsibly but is technically as illegal as the idiots who were probably idiots on bikes and will probably become idiots on dirtbikes and then cars
Same as BMW drivers - you do occasionally see one driving normally and using their indicators!
In my home town e scooters are still illegal. This generally means most are operated by yoofs and hoodlums including one lad who has a face mask on I'm guessing to avoid ID
However I see one regularly in my dog walk. Youngish lady, helmet on and lights who lives in flats with limited parking. It's also pretty early so guess she works nights so probably feels a damn site (sight?) Safer at 15mph then her walking speed. She operates it responsibly but is technically as illegal as the idiots who were probably idiots on bikes and will probably become idiots on dirtbikes and then cars
Same as BMW drivers - you do occasionally see one driving normally and using their indicators!
Even though driving a BMW is not illegal
“I don’t think prohibition on scooters is working so let’s bring them in,” said the mayor.
“They are everywhere anyway and the police are struggling to enforce so let’s properly regulate what is a reality of life now.”
Rees said he is concerned about the potential risks involved but said he is writing to the Police and Crime Commissioner about regulation and speaking to Voi to ensure the firm is on top of safety for the hire scooters.
“The rise of micromobility across the UK and Europe in recent years has seen a step-change in the way we travel, especially in Bristol, with rental e-scooters providing zero-emission, lightweight alternatives to polluting motor vehicles,” said Sam Pooke, senior public policy manager at Voi.
“Voi supports in principle the notion of private scooter use as it promotes a sustainable mode of transport, but regulations which permit their usage must ensure a level playing-field between rental and private vehicles.
“Much like Voi e-scooters, private vehicles must be regulated in a safe and appropriate manner, with strict provisions in place requiring riders to have insurance, maximum vehicle speed limits, where riders are allowed to operate and other specifications such as number plates, for the benefit and safety of pedestrians and all other road users.”
Today I happened to be at that same place just when a Voi distributor, on cargo bike, was there. All the distribution is, of course, contracted out, and can be done by cargo bike, van or even on a Voi. He, of course, said that if the scooters were left blocking the pavement or cycle lane it was users who had done it, because the distributors are given detailed instructions with a photo of exactly how it should be. In his case, as he was on a bike, I'm inclined to believe him. Not sure whether I'd believe it of all them.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-59747082
Swedish firm Voi Technologies said a higher proportion of people were using the e-scooters in Bristol than in any other place in Europe where their hire scheme operates.https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/voi-scooters-disabled-over-new-6397117
As many as 200 scooters were damaged, while the fire also affected a number of their batteries. It is unclear at this stage if the blaze broke out from one of the scooters.https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/hundreds-voi-e-scooters-damaged-6431203
Eight crews and a ladder device were needed to tackle the flames, which also damaged the warehouse.
Fucksake. They could at least mothball them until they sort the law out, or something.I'd be more amenable to sorting out the rules for the use of private scooters 5 or so years after proper standards for the safe construction of the things became enforced. At the moment they are either:
The guidance say: “We know it is difficult for the police and the public to distinguish between private (illegal) e-scooters and those being used in rental trials. This, in turn, has an impact on the monitoring and evaluation programme, making it difficult to determine, for example, whether pavement riding is more common for private (illegal) use.Is it really difficult for police and the public to distinguish between scooters in standardised colours and those not? Okay, the general public might not be aware of such differences, particularly if they're only visiting a hire area, but the police should be. And as for reducing "the illegal use of e-scooters" that horse has long bolted. I think this is either "we must be seen do do something" or there is another motivation. Obviously it makes commercial sense for the hire schemes to track individual vehicles (yes, these are vehicles) and the same applies to bikes. All the Bird Bikes, for instance, have nice friendly public-readable names (Anne to Zacharias) along with their machine-friendly QR codes.
“To help address these issues we want further requirements to be introduced to improve user identification and reduce the illegal use of e-scooters.”
Between midday and 1pm, Voi scooters are currently blinking blue and yellow to show the company’s support for Ukraine.https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/voi-solidarity-ukraine-while-also-having-links-to-russian-state/
All of the money that Voi makes during this hour-long period will be donated to the UN Refugee Agency.
But this display of solidarity comes as it has emerged that one of Voi’s major shareholders has close links to the Russian state.
In an email to Voi chief executive Fredrik Hjelm at his Stockholm headquarters, Labour mayor Norris said: “I trust that Voi is taking steps to ensure that this link between the company and the Russian regime currently pursuing an illegal invasion of Ukraine is severed.
“The outcome of this matter will strongly affect my thinking regarding the future use of Voi scooters in the West of England.”
In a statement, a Voi spokesperson said: “In regards to investors, in order to ensure consistency with our aims and values as a company, Voi conducts background checks on all our investors before agreeing on terms with them.https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/metro-mayor-threatens-to-stop-voi-trial-over-russia-links/
“None of our investors were under any sanctions when we accepted their investment, and, at the time of writing, none are currently under any sanctions.
“We are currently reevaluating all our partners in light of the recent developments in Ukraine and will take any and all actions deemed necessary to comply with sanctions.
“This includes the removal of shareholders should they no longer align with our core values. We will always abide by any laws or sanctions that are in place.
“Alongside many international businesses, we believe Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a severe violation of international law and we stand on the side of democracy and the Ukrainian people at this time.”
In response to a brief by RNIB, funded by Dott and HEIF, Salford Acoustics have created a series of sounds that underwent extensive testing in their renowned acoustic research facilities. The preliminary research results have indicated that improved noticeability of e-scooters using sound can be achieved without adding to noise pollution in cities.
The project is aiming for the roll-out of a future global standard on light electric vehicle technical standards and is continually seeking out collaborations with other partners to complement and enhance its research.https://www.salford.ac.uk/news/new-funding-backs-progress-towards-universal-sound-e-scooters-part-safe-and-sound-project
QuoteIn response to a brief by RNIB, funded by Dott and HEIF, Salford Acoustics have created a series of sounds that underwent extensive testing in their renowned acoustic research facilities. The preliminary research results have indicated that improved noticeability of e-scooters using sound can be achieved without adding to noise pollution in cities.QuoteThe project is aiming for the roll-out of a future global standard on light electric vehicle technical standards and is continually seeking out collaborations with other partners to complement and enhance its research.https://www.salford.ac.uk/news/new-funding-backs-progress-towards-universal-sound-e-scooters-part-safe-and-sound-project
It would seem they're intent on using a different sound from that of e-cars. Why?
“Designed with a bigger front wheel and a bigger thread depth, to help you ride safer, while the improved GPS makes parking in different zones even easier,” a YouTube video explained. “Signalling becomes second nature with high comfort handlebars and new 360 indicators. And the new integrated phone holder helps you navigate safely. It’s our most circular e-scooter yet, easier to repair than any previous model,” it added.With a "slight" price rise (40%) to pay for the new design.
For helmets on scooters: you already see this on school runs because child+wheels=helmet. How the fuck someone will land on their head from a scooter, no matter how fast or how much less secure they are than bikes, I really don’t know.It does seem rather obvious that the risks are the same as those when running ???
Kids on the school run wear helmets to protect their parents from being seen as a bad parent and/or themselves from breaking TEH SKOOL RULEZ. Nothing to do with safety.My son must be a very, very bad man.
Kids on the school run wear helmets to protect their parents from being seen as a bad parent and/or themselves from breaking TEH SKOOL RULEZ. Nothing to do with safety.
“The illegal e-scooters are demonstrating a clear unmet transport need,” says Lorna Stevenson, an e-scooter researcher at the University of Westminster. “There are people using them who won’t know they’re illegal, but others who do, and still see it as worth the risk. The question is, what is the rest of the transport system not providing to these people?”This is the key (and obvious) question which is being largely ignored.
AIUI victim surcharge is applied to all fines. There doesn't have to be an actual victim in the particular case. I suppose the money is used to compensate victims of crime in general but I'm not sure. And in the UK it's illegal to be drunk in public even when not in charge of anything other than your bladder.
Cycling advantages, basically. Without the storage problems or the stigma of being sports equipment.
Cycling advantages, basically. Without the storage problems or the stigma of being sports equipment.
...but producing a lot more obesity and landfill.
I don't subscribe to the CTC argument that signifcant numbers of people using electric scooters would otherwise walk or cycle. They'd use public transport, or not make the journey.
That's a good point. Though again the effect is probably minor compared to covidophobia and, of course, driving.I don't subscribe to the CTC argument that signifcant numbers of people using electric scooters would otherwise walk or cycle. They'd use public transport, or not make the journey.
That's a problem for the viability of public transport then. If it looses a significant proportion of its users (presumably the younger demographic) it would probably lead to cutbacks affecting those who rely on it - the elderly and less adventurous.
I don't subscribe to that either, but a personal anecdote:. I don't subscribe to the CTC argument that signifcant numbers of people using electric scooters would otherwise walk or cycle. They'd use public transport, or not make the journey.Cycling advantages, basically. Without the storage problems or the stigma of being sports equipment.
...but producing a lot more obesity and landfill.
I don't subscribe to the CTC argument that signifcant numbers of people using electric scooters would otherwise walk or cycle. They'd use public transport, or not make the journey.I tend to agree with the CTC.
I suspect personal e-transport will reduce urban bicycle miles.
What's the life expectancy of these electric scooters?
pic=116116.msg2718956#msg2718956 date=1651254248]
Safety in numbers is the positive Voi-effect I feel. E-scooters are bicycle sized, move at more or less bicycle speed, and just as importantly they move in a bike-like way – filtering, swerving, nipping out at left-turn junctions.....
E-scooters are bicycle sized, move at more or less bicycle speed, and just as importantly they move in a bike-like way – filtering, swerving, nipping out at left-turn junctions, being obstructed by parked vehicles – think "Pob on a BSO" rather than "roadie in Castelli" or "road-toughened tourist/audaxer".
Compared to using public transport, taxis or getting lifts, or indeed not going anywhere, e-scooters probably do very marginally help with obesity simply because there is a little effort involved (such as kicking off and maintaining balance) and more so through the mental effects of getting out there.
I suspect personal e-transport will reduce urban bicycle miles.
“Safety will always be our top priority and our trials are helping us to better understand the benefits of properly regulated, safety-tested e-scooters and their impact on public space.”Does this mean homologation or some sort of MoT system? Or something else entirely?
I bet the people who wrote it don't even know.Quote“Safety will always be our top priority and our trials are helping us to better understand the benefits of properly regulated, safety-tested e-scooters and their impact on public space.”Does this mean homologation or some sort of MoT system? Or something else entirely?
They will most likely announce something then fail to implement it.
Wasn't Boss Hogg Cameron?SPLORT !!
Bloody Stupid Johnson is Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane's evil twin.
Is there a breakdown for that statistic? I'm curious if much of it is covid related shift out of public transport rather than anything else.
I think the legal (hire) ones require a drivers license.
Voi says it worked with groups such as Open Inclusion and Women in Transport to make the V5 more inclusive, and is currently working with Lazarillo, an app that improves accessibility for blind and visually-impaired people.Hopefully this means they won't be parked in quite such haphazard, and sometimes just hazardous, places. But I doubt it.
The self-cancelling indicators will be an improvement, as it's waaaaaay common to see people scooting along oblivious to their indicator indicating a supposed intention to do something they have no real intention to do.
I think different cities had different trial rules, presumably based on how much of a bogeyman scooterboys were being made out to be by the media at the time they were set up.Actually I seem to remember it was 10mph initially in Bristol but then increased to 15, except in certain areas, after a few months. How long have they been in Cambridge?
I suppose it's useful data...
I think different cities had different trial rules, presumably based on how much of a bogeyman scooterboys were being made out to be by the media at the time they were set up.Actually I seem to remember it was 10mph initially in Bristol but then increased to 15, except in certain areas, after a few months. How long have they been in Cambridge?
I suppose it's useful data...
Here e-scooters have a 25kph (15mph) limit. The rules state that they should be driven no faster than walking pace when on a pavement and that there should be no more than one person onboard at anytime. Both rules are ignored.You can't ignore the speed restrictions on the voi scooters. They won't even freewheel down hill faster than 10mph.
Nobody could possibly have predicted this, could they? Not the politicians, not the industry, not the techies. No, absolutely nobody.I'd have thought that absolutely anybody could have predicted this. So what? People will get killed by anything that moves faster than walking pace. People have been killed by runners. I don't see why scooters should be singled out. After all, they're generally slower than bicycles.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/boy-14-questioned-by-police-after-pensioner-dies-following-e-scooter-crash/ar-AAYpDtu?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=1255296de07a4c9c908a0a4b414d1736 (https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/boy-14-questioned-by-police-after-pensioner-dies-following-e-scooter-crash/ar-AAYpDtu?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=1255296de07a4c9c908a0a4b414d1736)
I'm sorry, nothing will convince me that e-scooters are/were a good idea, when they were just introduced against all warnings about what needed to be in place, legally and socially.
I don't know what the answer is, unless we ban teenagers.We do need to remember that young teenagers on bikes, who may listen to advice from parents, grow up into young drivers in cars, who may not. Denying road experience when people are young may lead to worse accidents when they are adults.
Nobody could possibly have predicted this, could they? Not the politicians, not the industry, not the techies. No, absolutely nobody.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/boy-14-questioned-by-police-after-pensioner-dies-following-e-scooter-crash/ar-AAYpDtu?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=1255296de07a4c9c908a0a4b414d1736 (https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/boy-14-questioned-by-police-after-pensioner-dies-following-e-scooter-crash/ar-AAYpDtu?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=1255296de07a4c9c908a0a4b414d1736)
I'm sorry, nothing will convince me that e-scooters are/were a good idea, when they were just introduced against all warnings about what needed to be in place, legally and socially.
This woman is dead. It needn't have happened. A dog could have told you that the chief appeal of e-scooters would be to teenagers who would ride wherever they liked, including the pavement, which is where this woman was killed. The entrepreneurs did not design these machines to solve a transport or ecological problem - they did it because they could. You may be "lucky" enough only to have experienced responsible riders obeying such regulations as exist and on non-modified machines. I have been surprised on my bike by soundless, bell-less machines on both cycle tracks and the road (both illegal for private e-scooters), passing me at speeds greater than fifteen miles an hour on many occasions. It's tough oop north. I blame scooters because this woman (who is dead, by the way) was hit by one. It may be possible to have a world in which these machines have a legitimate use. At the moment they are neither necessary or safe. Officials should have seen this coming and said, "No, we're not ready for it - not yet, anyway." Let them eat bikes.
No, Charly, I know that the incident wasn't on a hire-scooter but I didn't know where else to put it. For what it's worth, Rochdale has abandoned its hire experiment. This was also predicted.
I'm very impressed by the geo-fencing that prevents the scooters from being ridden where they shouldn't. It seems to be very precise.
Good shout.I'm very impressed by the geo-fencing that prevents the scooters from being ridden where they shouldn't. It seems to be very precise.
It raises the obvious question: If we can make scooters drop to walking speed in a pedestrianised area, why can't we make cars obey the speed limit?
I think that 15mph would be too fast for scooters.
I wonder how people manage to keep them upright when whizzing along at near full speed with one hand while the other is holding their mobile to their ear or mouth (speakerphone style).
If I could recommend one rule it would be that the mobile holder on the handlebars had the right technology so that if a mobile was not in the holder the e-scooter would not operate.
I wonder how people manage to keep them upright when whizzing along at near full speed with one hand while the other is holding their mobile to their ear or mouth (speakerphone style).Many people ask that about bikes and drinking bottles/phones/signalling turns/delete as appropriate.
I'm very impressed by the geo-fencing that prevents the scooters from being ridden where they shouldn't. It seems to be very precise.
It raises the obvious question: If we can make scooters drop to walking speed in a pedestrianised area, why can't we make cars obey the speed limit?
Or for that matter, if we can make hire bikes refuse to terminate the hire period outside an authorised dock, why can't we make cars that won't lock if they're parked on the pavement.
Is geo-fencing what stops me from taking a Sainsbury's trolley beyond the car park?
Good call on both points.I'm very impressed by the geo-fencing that prevents the scooters from being ridden where they shouldn't. It seems to be very precise.
It raises the obvious question: If we can make scooters drop to walking speed in a pedestrianised area, why can't we make cars obey the speed limit?
Or for that matter, if we can make hire bikes refuse to terminate the hire period outside an authorised dock, why can't we make cars that won't lock if they're parked on the pavement.
Sure, Charly. The technology exists to control the hire ones, I know. (Some of ours ended up in the river, too!) It's controlling the use/modification of private ones that is the problem.
Someone said earlier that it was a good idea to give young people the opportunity to get used to traffic and road use but making scooters available is not the answer. Even if you had courses, there are enough kids who just don't care about regulations. And I don't buy the NRA argument that it isn't scooters, it's people. If it's people, don't give them scooters - unless there is serious regulation.
I'm very impressed by the geo-fencing that prevents the scooters from being ridden where they shouldn't. It seems to be very precise.
It raises the obvious question: If we can make scooters drop to walking speed in a pedestrianised area, why can't we make cars obey the speed limit?
Or for that matter, if we can make hire bikes refuse to terminate the hire period outside an authorised dock, why can't we make cars that won't lock if they're parked on the pavement.
Hi Peter, I agree with your rage against unregulated scooters - it's worse in that for some reason the country allows the import of these unlicensed vehicles that can even catch fire and burn down homes/trains.
It's not going to be my priority or get close to that until we've tackled unlicensed drivers, uninsured drivers, drivers who speed and drivers who park in such a way as to put pedestrians at risk. And all the other pollution/health car issues have been resolved.
Walk, drive, cycle or Voi through any configuration of ten consecutive streets, and you’ll end up in a vastly different place from the one you started in.I doubt it will catch on as Voi's presence is still geographically restricted and we already have the perfectly good verb 'scoot' or maybe 'scooter'. So far, it's just local journalism written by "a trainer and consultant in the coffee industry."
Fires in tunnels are what people who know about tunnels worry about instead of tunnels collapsing.If you are interested, read up on the Mont Blanc tunnel fire.
Fires in tunnels are what people who know about tunnels worry about instead of tunnels collapsing.
No e-scooters and no e-unicycles folded or unfolded as of last December on any TfL premises or services.I've been in London only for a couple of days and I've seen plenty of notices at station entrances.
I hear the Tannoy announcement a several of times every week.
FWIW I would not want to be in a tunnel section when a shonky LiPo elects to flambe.
Would Inspector Sands report immediately to the control room, and all that.
Fires in tunnels are what people who know about tunnels worry about instead of tunnels collapsing.
Watching the videos of Space Karen's LA drainpipe the thing that really struck me was: What the fuck happens if one of those teslas go into thermal run away? Has any safety been built into the system. ?
I think there are already rules about bikes on the deep lines. Maybe a folding bike...Last time I checked, you could take folders on the deep lines. That was a while ago. In practice, I wouldn't try it in rush hour. But I did once have a crank break when riding back to the office from a supplier's, so I folded the bike and used the Tube to get back then, in the middle of the working day.
I don't understand what the issue is in Canterbury. I didn't see a single scooter in use when I was there.
If they did want to make the pedestrian areas safer, they could fix the paving. I did see a woman trip and fall over.
J
Bristol’s latest round of electric scooter trials are in fact set to end this month and so the data collation is particularly useful to advising local and central Government transport policy makers. It was suggested in the last Queen’s speech that electric scooters are set to be fully legalised, however much has changed in Government since that time, including those ministers tasked with transport.I didn't know it was ending this month. I can't imagine they will end it completely – if they do, it will be odd to feel their absence. It would be interesting, though, to track changes in cycling, bussing, driving, walking, if they do end the use of e-scooters – bearing in mind this is only one location and might not represent the city as a whole.
From Tuesday, people living on the outskirts of the south of the city will be able to rent a Voi e-scooter closer to where they live.Social justice:
...
From Avonmouth to Cribbs Causeway, the city centre, and the south of the city, Voi’s operating area now covers a total of nearly 60 square miles.
The company hopes this expansion will help bring equity to some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Bristol.
An independent report carried out by Volterra Partners and commissioned by Voi, shows that the electric scooters play a key role in broadening access to employment.
The report outlines that 60 per cent of all morning e-scooter trips in Bristol end in the top 10 per cent of the most employment-dense locations in the city.
It also shows that Voi has helped to boost Bristol’s economy. In 2022, an estimated £13m has been contributed to the local economy thanks to the company.
Between 2020 and 2024 it is estimated that £43m in total will have been contributed to the local economy.
Councillor Don Alexander, Bristol City Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “Bristol is already the most popular city in the UK for Voi e-scooters with an estimated three million car journeys replaced to date.
The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety has released some recommendations for the possible legalisation of private e-scooters: https://www.pacts.org.uk/the-safety-of-private-e-scooters-in-the-uk-pacts-research/
They include mandatory helmets, daytime lights, a lower speed restriction than the hire scooters or e-bikes (12.5mph v 15mph), and no passengers.
Some interesting data has now been published evaluating the e-scooter trials.
Looks like the casualty rate is 3 x that of riding a bike.
And as expected, most of the users of e-scooters (70%) have switched from walking, cycling or using public transport. So most people won't be giving up their car and public health will carry on getting worse due to a lack of exercise.
Looks like the casualty rate is 3 x that of riding a bike. And as expected, most of the users of e-scooters (70%) have switched from walking, cycling or using public transport. So most people won't be giving up their car and public health will carry on getting worse due to a lack of exercise.EDIT - Some cross posting with Kim.
Minimum 12" front wheel is interesting. Think that is bigger than any of the hire schemes, or most electric scooters that are available to buy. Seems most are only 8" or 10", even the more expensive models. If you go much bigger, you are onto proper kickbike type things.The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety has released some recommendations for the possible legalisation of private e-scooters: https://www.pacts.org.uk/the-safety-of-private-e-scooters-in-the-uk-pacts-research/
They include mandatory helmets, daytime lights, a lower speed restriction than the hire scooters or e-bikes (12.5mph v 15mph), and no passengers.
Those don't seem too onerous, apart from the helmet requirement, which will be ignored as needed along with 'no passengers'.
I know the CTC was pushing for them to be slower than ebikes in order to encourage people to cycle, which I thought was a bit silly.
The minimum wheel size and brake requirements seem like a good idea, in terms of actually making them safer. Nothing about battery safety, but I suppose that's covered by other regulations.
Minimum 12" front wheel is interesting. Think that is bigger than any of the hire schemes, or most electric scooters that are available to buy. Seems most are only 8" or 10", even the more expensive models. If you go much bigger, you are onto proper kickbike type things.When it comes to the tech spec aren't we just going to end up with what the EU decide? Yes I know the UK can make it's own rules, but large scale manufacturers are not going to want to make a substantially different product for the UK market.
Also says maximum possible speed 12.5mph. Are you allowed to go faster than that downhill, or just kicking?
We'll likely specify a minimum wheel size bigger than the EU ('cos Brexit, and we can, and we're British), then all and sundry will complain that our scooters are more expensive than the ones in Europe.
No kicking, that'll be the motor cut-out speed. Presumably it can go faster rolling downhill, though seeing them go down the hill here, they don't.Minimum 12" front wheel is interesting. Think that is bigger than any of the hire schemes, or most electric scooters that are available to buy. Seems most are only 8" or 10", even the more expensive models. If you go much bigger, you are onto proper kickbike type things.The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety has released some recommendations for the possible legalisation of private e-scooters: https://www.pacts.org.uk/the-safety-of-private-e-scooters-in-the-uk-pacts-research/
They include mandatory helmets, daytime lights, a lower speed restriction than the hire scooters or e-bikes (12.5mph v 15mph), and no passengers.
Those don't seem too onerous, apart from the helmet requirement, which will be ignored as needed along with 'no passengers'.
I know the CTC was pushing for them to be slower than ebikes in order to encourage people to cycle, which I thought was a bit silly.
The minimum wheel size and brake requirements seem like a good idea, in terms of actually making them safer. Nothing about battery safety, but I suppose that's covered by other regulations.
Also says maximum possible speed 12.5mph. Are you allowed to go faster than that downhill, or just kicking?
Also says maximum possible speed 12.5mph. Are you allowed to go faster than that downhill, or just kicking?No kicking, that'll be the motor cut-out speed. Presumably it can go faster rolling downhill, though seeing them go down the hill here, they don't.
We'll likely specify a minimum wheel size bigger than the EU ('cos Brexit, and we can, and we're British), then all and sundry will complain that our scooters are more expensive than the ones in Europe.You could buy a proper British Swifty e-scooter for £2000, 16" wheels. I'm sure they are nice enough, but it is going to be a niche product. https://swiftyscooters.com/collections/electric-scooters
New e-scooter rental scheme in Bristol will see parking spaces on roads instead of pavementshttps://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/new-e-scooter-rental-scheme-8042440
The contract to run Bristol's e-scooter scheme is up for renewal and could see major changes
A new e-scooter rental scheme in Bristol will see parking spaces move onto roads in designated spots instead of on pavements. The new rental scheme, expected to be brought in around spring or summer this year, will likely also include electric bicycles as well as e-scooters.
Swedish company Voi has operated rentable e-scooters in Bristol in a trial beginning in October 2020. But the scheme could soon be taken over by a new company, as the West of England has asked operators to bid for a long-term contract across the wider region.
Bristol City Council is planning to address some issues on “parking and rider behaviour” with the current Voi e-scooters by shifting parking spaces from virtual spots on pavements onto clearly marked areas on the road. The cabinet is due to sign off these plans on January 24.
...continues
A trial of an electric tuk-tuk used to service Voi scooters has begun in Bristol.
The zero emissions vehicle is being used to carry out regular service tasks which includes swapping batteries and maintenance.
In partnership with Biliti Electric, Voi has become the first e-scooter company in the UK to trial an all-electric tuk-tuk.
It’s been a Voi-yage
We are sad to inform you that we will no longer be operating in Birmingham as of 11.00PM on Tuesday 28th February, 2023.
Our contract to run the e-scooter trial for West Midlands Combined Authority has expired and we will be removing our scooters and parking racks from Birmingham over the coming weeks.
Since September 2020 we have seen 141,000 riders take 2.4 million rides in the region, covering 3.14 million miles. We are proud of the service we have delivered and would like to say thank you to all riders who have hopped on and made the service a success. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.
If you are currently subscribed to a Voi Pass we will issue prorated refunds to all users who have unused minutes or days left on their subscriptions. Active Voi pass subscriptions will not be renewed.
We remain optimistic about the future of micromobility in the region and hope to be back to serve riders soon.
If you have any further questions regarding our operations or refunds, please contact support@voi.com.
Best wishes,
the Voi team
It's been a Voi-yageI always assumed that was the origin of the name. Or at least, maybe some Swedish cognate of way (in the via sense, not the how sense).
But under 8% of those eligible turned out to vote.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo called the referendum, where voters could say if they were for or against free-floating e-scooters. Privately-owned vehicles were not part of the vote.Not clear from that if docked hire scooters will still be allowed, but it doesn't change the status of private ones.
Great Western Railway is banning all passengers from carrying electric scooters on services or stations.
Customers will no longer be able to take e-scooters on to Great Western Railway trains or stations which the company operates from Sunday, May 21.
This will include Swindon railway station as well as others in Wiltshire such as Chippenham, Trowbridge and Westbury.
The company said it was concerned over the fire risk posed by lithium batteries.
In an update to its policy, it said: "This follows a number of incidents on the UK rail and tube network where lithium-ion batteries in e-scooters have been associated with severe overheating, increasing the risk of fire.
From 21 May, 2023, customers will no longer be able to bring e-Scooters onto GWR trains or stations.The penultimate paragraph is the nub of the matter; no regulations, cos the DfT haven't officially accepted their existence.
This follows a number of incidents on the UK rail and tube network where lithium-ion batteries in e-Scooters have been associated with severe overheating, increasing the risk of fire.
If unchecked, this carries particular risks in enclosed spaces on board trains.
Unlike other personal mobility devices such as e-bikes or mobility scooters, e-Scooters are not currently regulated, and are not required to meet minimum safety standards for vehicles.
Customers bringing e-Scooters onto GWR trains or stations will be asked to leave. Unattended e-Scooters will be treated as abandoned and will be safely disposed of.
Apparently this notice has been put up at (some) stations:QuoteFrom 21 May, 2023, customers will no longer be able to bring e-Scooters onto GWR trains or stations.The penultimate paragraph is the nub of the matter; no regulations, cos the DfT haven't officially accepted their existence.
This follows a number of incidents on the UK rail and tube network where lithium-ion batteries in e-Scooters have been associated with severe overheating, increasing the risk of fire.
If unchecked, this carries particular risks in enclosed spaces on board trains.
Unlike other personal mobility devices such as e-bikes or mobility scooters, e-Scooters are not currently regulated, and are not required to meet minimum safety standards for vehicles.
Customers bringing e-Scooters onto GWR trains or stations will be asked to leave. Unattended e-Scooters will be treated as abandoned and will be safely disposed of.
I'm not sure how much of that pertains to their fire safety on a train, thobut, which is shirley covered under usual sale of goods regulations that might pertain to a power drill or video camera or whatever.
I suppose there's the possibility of battery damage while in use as a vehicle that later causes a fire. I can imagine this being more of an issue for a scooter than an ebike, as the wheels are small and the battery is so close to the ground.
I'm not sure whether it has been mention already, if so I apologise for the repetition, but the issue isn't so much with fires on trains as it is with lithium-ion fires being notoriously difficult to extinguish as, I believe, they generate oxygen when they burn, so smothering them with conventional fire-fighting media isn't nearly as effective as one might want.
Magnesium and Sodium Chlorate are two other materials which spring to mind as being difficult to extinguish once lit.
It shows that if they hadn't used a scooter, 37% would have walked, 19% would have used a car, 14% would have gone by bus, 10% would have cycled, 2% by other public transport and 2% would have used a motorbike.
Also, I continue to be impressed by how much passing space the average driver gives them.
It shows that if they hadn't used a scooter, 37% would have walked, 19% would have used a car, 14% would have gone by bus, 10% would have cycled, 2% by other public transport and 2% would have used a motorbike.
It’s worse than that. There’s a whole group of cycling campaigners who think scooters should stay illegal because they aren’t “active travel” and therefore just as bad as cars.
The last House of Commons committee looking at the data so far recommended legalisation, but on-road use only plus helmets. So I reckon in a year's time they will allow them for on-road use only, but ditch the helmet requirement. So if some users do then use the road, then hopefully it will slow down vehicles a bit.Almost all the e-scooter use is on road already. Round here anyway. After all, the pavements are full of pedestrians, who move in an altogether slower speed category than anything with wheels (other than prams etc). At least, if "use" means riding; what they do on the pavements is parking, and that is totally haphazard – quite a lot of hazard!
Looking at Dutch and Danish town centres makes me think that the UK should be moving in the same direction so that masses of pedestrians, cyclists and speed-restricted e-machines have safer environmnents while not being allowed to use the fast roads - A roads, trunk roads, motorways.
In the Dutch town I looked at I had this image in my mind of a tree, with the trunk road bringing the heavy traffic into the town and branching off into car parks or into delivery roads behind shops, leaving the leafy narrower streets to carry the smaller, slower personal modes of transport right to the edge of pedestrian zones. It must have taken years of good planning and implementation; I am truly impressed.
Thanks, Adam.This is my attitude too, based on what I see/feel from the presence of e-scooters on the roads round me.
Perhaps cyclists should welcome more vehicles that travel at similar speeds so that planners have a critical mass to plan foŕ not just a meagre 2%.
Thanks, Adam.
Perhaps cyclists should welcome more vehicles that travel at similar speeds so that planners have a critical mass to plan foŕ not just a meagre 2%.
Paris has the right idea: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2023/06/30/paris-mayor-enters-fray-between-e-bikes-and-pedestrians-by-fighting-driversTotalement. And/though even she says "Plus aucune piste cyclable sur les trottoirs !"
I noticed on the station yesterday, on the way into work, a sign announcing that e-scooters and the like are not permitted (https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/travel-information/on-board/bringing-a-bike) on trains and stations, owing to concerns over battery safety. I thought it a bit odd, on that basis, that e-bikes are still allowed. Are the batteries different, or are the train companies being somewhat disingenuous?
Do mobile phone and laptop batteries never catch fire?
As well as 4,000 e-scooters available for hire, there will be 1,500 pedal-only e-bikes (WESTbike) and 20 e-cargo bikes (WESTcargo).I suppose they're trying to say that these will be standard EAPCs, no assistance without pedalling. The box bikes might prove useful.
This money will be “reinvested in future West of England transport improvements”, including for 100 e-scooter parking racks around the city.
“WESTscoot must build on the successes of e-scooters in our West of England region which has been one of the most successful trials anywhere in Europe,” Norris said.
“But it must also address the legitimate concerns residents often voice over poor and irresponsible e-scooter parking.”
Do mobile phone and laptop batteries never catch fire?
Do mobile phone and laptop batteries never catch fire?
Tier e-scooters are noticeably larger than Vois – photo: Charlie Wattshttps://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/end-road-voi-bristol/
e-scooters (still officially "on trial" after three years) are like cars: getting bigger.
(https://www.bristol247.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Voi-vs-Tier-e-scooter-photo-Charlie-Watts-1024x768.jpg)QuoteTier e-scooters are noticeably larger than Vois – photo: Charlie Wattshttps://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/end-road-voi-bristol/
Speaking of larger scooters, the comedy entry for Sunday's BHPC race is one of these things: https://www.yedoo.eu/en/product/yedoo-trexx-adults-scooter-3xReuaWell, I expect it to be in a class of its own. (no, not adminwise)
I've seen the last Voi in Bristol*, dead, lying on the pavement. And the first Tiers are here. So I can confirm that they have identical 8.5-inch wheels. In fact they're almost identical scooters: just an external battery pack and a longer, sightly wider (I think) deck.e-scooters (still officially "on trial" after three years) are like cars: getting bigger.
(https://www.bristol247.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Voi-vs-Tier-e-scooter-photo-Charlie-Watts-1024x768.jpg)QuoteTier e-scooters are noticeably larger than Vois – photo: Charlie Wattshttps://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/end-road-voi-bristol/
Easily-swappable battery and a slightly longer wheelbase? Looks like a smidge more ground-clearance too. Probably good things. Hard to tell if the wheels are any bigger, which would surely be the best way to improve a scooter that never has to be picked up and carried by the user.
e-scooters (still officially "on trial" after three years) are like cars: getting bigger.
(https://www.bristol247.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Voi-vs-Tier-e-scooter-photo-Charlie-Watts-1024x768.jpg)QuoteTier e-scooters are noticeably larger than Vois – photo: Charlie Wattshttps://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/end-road-voi-bristol/
E-bikes and e-scooters set to be banned from parts of Coventry city centre later this monthhttps://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/e-bikes-e-scooters-set-28019500
Plans to ban the vehicles are expected to be approved at a council meeting next week and could be implemented as soon as November 20
I wonder what proof they are going to want about disabled people claiming use as a mobility aid? Cos if the start hassling disabled people on e-scooters or e-cycles, some of us will fight back and I know just the tools we could use.Presumably such tools could also be used regarding non-assisted cycles used by disabled people as a mobility aid? Thinking of the one or two places which use PSPO to ban non-electric cycling.
I wonder what proof they are going to want about disabled people claiming use as a mobility aid? Cos if the start hassling disabled people on e-scooters or e-cycles, some of us will fight back and I know just the tools we could use.
I wonder what proof they are going to want about disabled people claiming use as a mobility aid? Cos if the start hassling disabled people on e-scooters or e-cycles, some of us will fight back and I know just the tools we could use.
Pedal bicycles won’t be affected after concerns that this could be ‘counterproductive’. People who use mobility scooters will also be exempt.
Having sat on the fringes of local politics for a while, I'd even go so far as to say, with some councillors, it's almost a fear of change and fear of what they don't understand.
Electrically assisted scooters and HPVs represent something modern to them and they find this threatening.
Some years ago, at a meeting attended by a few local councillors, I'd left some of my vaping parafanailia out on a table close to where I was sat. One of them challenged me, having immediately assumed it was something to do with consuming cannabis. At a macro level, this is how some of them function - they are presented with something they don't understand and it, within an instant, consummates all of the fears they have internalised from reading the Daily Heil.
Aren't mobility scooters limited to 4mph?If only it were that simple:
Aren't mobility scooters limited to 4mph?If only it were that simple:
"Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs come in 2 categories:
class 2: these cannot be used on the road (except where there is not a pavement) and have a maximum speed of 4mph
I wonder what proof they are going to want about disabled people claiming use as a mobility aid? Cos if the start hassling disabled people on e-scooters or e-cycles, some of us will fight back and I know just the tools we could use.There is now an updated article that subtly changes things: https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/e-bikes-look-set-banned-28023883QuotePedal bicycles won’t be affected after concerns that this could be ‘counterproductive’. People who use mobility scooters will also be exempt.
What's the reason for the Class 3s having a maximum legal speed of 8mph rather than the 15 that applies to e-scooters?
Currently an adapted pedal cycle, that would otherwise count as a Category 1, loses its Invalid Carriage status as soon as you add electric assist, which I'd hope it would also solve.A very irksome hole in the rules.
Guide Dogs would like to see mandatory docked-parking for rental e-scooters, strict controls on their weight, power and speed, and enforcement when they are misused.Mandatory docked parking would be a good idea. Ideally it would be on the road not the pavement.
e-scooters (still officially "on trial" after three years) are like cars: getting bigger.
(https://www.bristol247.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Voi-vs-Tier-e-scooter-photo-Charlie-Watts-1024x768.jpg)QuoteTier e-scooters are noticeably larger than Vois – photo: Charlie Wattshttps://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/end-road-voi-bristol/
Scooters for boys and girls!!!Looking for scoots, who like bikes, who like scoots, who like bikes, who like scoots – always should be something you really ride.
Any person is prohibited from riding, cycling, or using an E-bike or E-scooter, within the protected area shown on the attached map (Appendix 2b).
Unless: 1. that person has a reasonable excuse for failing to do so; or 2. the owner, occupier or other person or authority having control of the land has consented (generally or specifically) to that person failing to do so.
Any person may push and walk alongside their E-bike, or E-scooter through the defined area.
Exemption: Nothing in this order applies to a person who uses a mobility scooter for access reasons or a person who uses an E-bike or E-scooter as a mobility aid and cannot safely dismount and push a cycle for any significant distance, but these persons must use these aids in a careful and considerate manner.
The devil is, as always, in the detail of the Coventry city centre e-scooter/e-bike ban.
...and apparently the detail is:QuoteAny person is prohibited from riding, cycling, or using an E-bike or E-scooter, within the protected area shown on the attached map (Appendix 2b).
Unless: 1. that person has a reasonable excuse for failing to do so; or 2. the owner, occupier or other person or authority having control of the land has consented (generally or specifically) to that person failing to do so.
Any person may push and walk alongside their E-bike, or E-scooter through the defined area.
Exemption: Nothing in this order applies to a person who uses a mobility scooter for access reasons or a person who uses an E-bike or E-scooter as a mobility aid and cannot safely dismount and push a cycle for any significant distance, but these persons must use these aids in a careful and considerate manner.
https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/ban-e-bikes-e-scooters-28067052
Sounds reasonable to me but not sure how it will work in practice.
Lack of availability, broken kick stands, no parking spaces or battery levels shown on the app before you ride, scooters slowing down or even stopping completely on busy roads due to faulty GPS and no in-app navigation are just some of the problems that users have been experiencing.https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/tier-acknowledges-problems-bristol-e-scooter-fleet/
Seems to miss a trick by lack of foldability. Otherwise, you might as well have a seat.The stem folds down, though as it still takes up the same floor space that might be of limited use. At 34kg it's not like anyone is going to carry it far.
Seems to miss a trick by lack of foldability. Otherwise, you might as well have a seat.The stem folds down, though as it still takes up the same floor space that might be of limited use. At 34kg it's not like anyone is going to carry it far.
I'm a bit puzzled by these, which might just mean I'm not the target audience. I really want a go, yet can't imagine why someone would choose one over a conventional electric moped or one of the electric motorbikes that can be ridden with the same CBT certificate.
Why would employers, or the law, differentiate between electric mopeds on the basis of whether they had a seat or not?Seems to miss a trick by lack of foldability. Otherwise, you might as well have a seat.The stem folds down, though as it still takes up the same floor space that might be of limited use. At 34kg it's not like anyone is going to carry it far.
I'm a bit puzzled by these, which might just mean I'm not the target audience. I really want a go, yet can't imagine why someone would choose one over a conventional electric moped or one of the electric motorbikes that can be ridden with the same CBT certificate.
Well you'd likely be able to bring it in to your employer's bike store (which in London tend to be secure and indoors) and plug it in. And you couldn't be nicked on the way to work.
Why would employers, or the law, differentiate between electric mopeds on the basis of whether they had a seat or not?Seems to miss a trick by lack of foldability. Otherwise, you might as well have a seat.The stem folds down, though as it still takes up the same floor space that might be of limited use. At 34kg it's not like anyone is going to carry it far.
I'm a bit puzzled by these, which might just mean I'm not the target audience. I really want a go, yet can't imagine why someone would choose one over a conventional electric moped or one of the electric motorbikes that can be ridden with the same CBT certificate.
Well you'd likely be able to bring it in to your employer's bike store (which in London tend to be secure and indoors) and plug it in. And you couldn't be nicked on the way to work.
It looks like an e-scooter,Apart from the bigger wheels, the indicators, the number plate and the rider wearing a motorcycle helmet... we may just have to agree to disagree on this one, though it's legally exactly the same as any other moped.
There are advantages of standing. There's less suspension needed, and you get good visibility ...
The owner can choose to get it registered, taxed, insured, MoTed and wear a helmet. I expect many will choose not to, because it is essentially just another e-scooter.It looks like an e-scooter,Apart from the bigger wheels, the indicators, the number plate and the rider wearing a motorcycle helmet... we may just have to agree to disagree on this one, though it's legally exactly the same as any other moped.
The USP is that it's road legal and that comes with a hefty premium. I doubt anyone who isn't concerned with the legality is going to choose this over the large choice of non road legal scooters, it wouldn't make sense.The owner can choose to get it registered, taxed, insured, MoTed and wear a helmet. I expect many will choose not to, because it is essentially just another e-scooter.It looks like an e-scooter,Apart from the bigger wheels, the indicators, the number plate and the rider wearing a motorcycle helmet... we may just have to agree to disagree on this one, though it's legally exactly the same as any other moped.
Where did you see that the manufacturer is taking care of registration and arranging insurance?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seECKiVnsaM