e-scooter trial

[MikeFromLFE]

No e-scooters and no e-unicycles folded or unfolded as of last December on any TfL premises or services.
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.

I've been in London only for a couple of days and I've seen plenty of notices at station entrances.

[orienteer]

There's no special restriction on e-bikes on TfL services, just the general ones about no non-folding bikes in weekday peak hours, nor at any time in deep tube tunnels: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/cycles-on-public-transport?intcmp=2366

[Kim]

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. ?

It's probably fine, it's not like there's going to be anyone using it.

[drossall]

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.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Saw one of the Voi long-term hires the other day which had been personalised by having disco-ball reflective tesserae* stuck over a substantial portion of the steerer tube.

*It seems wrong to call them tiles when they're that small.

[Kim]

Encountered a pair of 2-up scooterboys coming down the hill from Henley-in-Icecream into Wotton Wawen, with a tailback of well-behaved motorists following.  Which is unusual enough as it's a bit rural for that sort of thing.  But then I noticed the other pair of 2-up scooterboys riding alongside on the pavement (which is on the other side of the road), who informed me that my bike was sick.  Given the relative quality of tarmac involved, I reckon the road was a far safer choice.

Could e-scooters liberating teenagers of parents who moved to the SUV commuter-belt be the next big thing?

[Cudzoziemiec]

Well it beats recreational drugs, unsafe sex and gang violence. Though I suppose it could function as a gateway to those just as well as a car can.

[andrewc]

Bristol Big Issue E-Bike scheme paused due to vandalism.  https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/vandalism-blamed-big-issue-e-bike-hire-scheme/


https://twitter.com/beardedjourno/status/1560248084168310784

[Cudzoziemiec]

I thought I'd been seeing fewer of them recently. Mind you, if there were that many being vandalised, I'd expect to see some obvious casualties – this was a fairly common sight with the Yo bikes and occasionally with the Voi scooters – but I haven't seen a single Bird Bike that's been obviously vandalised. Could be they're all in the docks, of course...

[Cudzoziemiec]

University of the West of England is undertaking a survey "in which a researcher joins you to observe your on-the-street navigation when there are parked e-scooters present." I don't know anything more about it at the moment but I imagine it could provide valuable feedback for Voi and similar companies to ignore.

[nicknack]

Driving through Cowes the other day I followed a hire e-scooter for a while that was doing a reasonable lick in primary position, so I didn't bother to overtake. On turning a corner to an uphill stretch it slowed down quite a lot so I overtook and discovered the reason for the deceleration. There were three blokes on it.

[nicknack]

It's impressive that it could move at all. Lights were pretty good too.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Often see them two up, and they do seem to remain stable (except when the larger person is at the front but the person behind is doing the steering) but I've never seen one three up.

[Mr Larrington]

I nearly got flattened by one when coming out of the corner shop the other night ergo tHaRe A mEnISs BaN tHeM!!!eleven!

[The Family Cyclist]

First today, saw a kiddie cycle trailer being towed by an escooter

[Kim]

Second sighting in a week of middle-aged couple 2-up on a Voi scooter.  I suspect they were on their way to the pub.

[quixoticgeek]

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

[Pickled Onion]

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

Indeed. Last time I saw the stats (admittedly some years ago) the number of pedestrian deaths caused by tripping over uneven paving was far higher than the number caused by people on bicycles.

[Basil]

Visiting #1 son in Birmingham.   
So I decided to give it a try.  Downloaded the Voi app and unlocked a scooter only a few yards from his door.
Hmm. Tricky.  But that was only because I was unused to it.  I'm used to steering with my hips, not my knees and ankles.
Second go this morning was much better due to low traffic and increased confidence.  Also noticed the indicators I hadn't seen the first time.
It's quite expensive.  £1 to unlock then 20p a minute.  20 minute ride would be £5.
If you have a bike, why would you?
I suppose not needing to lock a bike up at the station is one benefit, but will there be one nearby on your way home?

I've only just noticed that, as a newby, I had two vouchers for a free un-lock that I failed to activate.   

[Adam]

Looks like they're extending the trial schemes until possibly 31st May 2024.

https://www.micromobilitybiz.com/tfl-extends-london-e-scooter-trials-launches-procurement-process-for-second-phase/

[Cudzoziemiec]

Found a graph comparing cyclist and e-scooter numbers on one road in central Bristol:

https://cyclingindustry.news/escooters-stake-claim-in-micromobility-ecosystem-in-bristol-study/

Park Row is pretty central, so a lot of commuters and general traffic, but also near the main uni sites. It's had slightly upgraded coneage since this photo was taken:
https://goo.gl/maps/EsjdyJRhorqRzTkz9

To me, looking at their graph, it seems that the start of university term had a fair bigger impact on e-scooter usage than cycling. The marked weekly pattern of cycling also suggests that most cyclists, even there, are commuters not students.

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.

[Kim]

I'm hosting a Telraam traffic counter as part of the Car Free Cities Birmingham project.  Unfortunately the algorithm (which classifies traffic visually according to solidity and aspect ratio) can't tell the difference between a scooterboy and a cyclist.  But I do see a marked increase in pedestrian and 'cycle' traffic past my window during term time (motor traffic also increases, but to a lesser extent).

[Cudzoziemiec]

Voi heads south.

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.
...
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.

Social justice:

The company hopes this expansion will help bring equity to some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Bristol.

Economic boost:

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.

Replacing car use:

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.

I think "to date" is a little over 18 months. I don't know what the total number of car journeys taken in that time is.

[Cudzoziemiec]

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.

[Adam]

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.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-evaluation-of-e-scooter-trials-report