Transport for London expands escooter trials
You can now see them rolling at Camden
Extensive consultation
Camden is the tenth London borough to join the trial alongside Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Richmond, Tower Hamlets (including Canary Wharf), the City of London, Lambeth, Southwark and Westminster.
Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet Member for a Sustainable Camden, said: “Rental e-scooters could be one solution, providing an alternative mode of transport that is emission free, potentially reducing the number of motor vehicles on our streets and easing pressures on the transport network.
“We undertook an extensive consultation to hear the views from as many people as possible.”
In a survey,63 percentof Camden residents indicated their opposition to the trial but council officers attributed the negative response to “public opinion largely based on illegal privately owned vehicles that can in some cases be ridden in a dangerous manner and can potentially be used for criminal activity”.
Legalisation?
The use of privately owned e-scooters on public roads and paths is currently forbidden in the UK, with TfL’s trial schemes the only legal way to use the micromobility devices in the capital.
Last week, a report by UK thinktank Centre for London recommended that e-scooters be completely legalised to cut down on car usage, with research finding that up to two-thirds of car journeys in London could be made via e-scooter in 20 minutes or under.
The city’s Metropolitan Police have stepped up efforts to combat the illegal use of e-scooters, seizing more than 2,500 privately owned devices since the start of the year.
Safety first
The rental e-scooters have a number of safety features, including always-on lights, unique identification numbers, GPS-controlled parking and no-go zones — meaning that they can only be parked in specified locations and cannot be ridden in certain areas.
Three rental e-scooter operators —Lime,TierandDott—are currently taking part in the trials.
Both users and non-users of the vehicles can give feedback and report incidents to the firms directly, either by using the contact details displayed on the vehicles or through the operators’ apps.
Data from TfL has revealed that e-scooter operators have reported five serious incidents — out of 165,000 trips — since the scheme began in June.
Do EVs excite your electrons? Do ebikes get your wheels spinning? Do self-driving cars get you all charged up?
Then you need the weekly SHIFT newsletter in your life.Click here to sign up.
Story byIoanna Lykiardopoulou
Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainabili(show all)Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainability, green tech, AI, and EU policy. With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.
