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[Travel] UK Electric Scooter Law... You decide.



U

usernamed

New member
Aug 31, 2017
763
Super Steve Earle said:
Why not. In my village, I could scoot from my house to the shops safely on a pavement on a scooter and not encounter a pedestrian from start to finish. Thing is, a scooter is so flexible and safe to use, you can just jump off and walk past a pedestrian before jumping back on to go about your way, same as a manual scooter. Perhaps rather than limiting speed, a law might just be that you revert to pushing it in pedestrian traffic.
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Others have mentioned limiting to 8mph, that’s two and two thirds times normal walking speed, and among pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and scooter users, there are always idiots.

Am still firmly for keeping them banned, but if they are to be allowed then mandatory licensing and insurance and cycle lanes only. Let’s not pretend that this isn’t adding a significant extra level of complexity and risk to a road system that is already trying to be too many different things to a lot of different people in an extremely finite space.


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M

m20gull

Well-known member
Jun 10, 2004
3,478
Land of the Chavs
The way they are used locally to me they should remain banned. The only positive to me is that they clearly denote two groups : show offs who don't care who they endanger and have no respect for legality, and parents who don't care what their children get up to when they are out of sight.
 


N

NooBHA

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2015
8,591
Are they easy to operate ? Especially starting and stopping.

My Dad is quite old and although I live right in a City centre there are some hills - At his age even what to others would be a small gradient to other can seem like a mountain to so I thought. Next time I might put him on one of them; however I don't want him to fall off and do more damage than walking up a hill. I aint that desperate for my inheritance just yet
 


Motogull

Motogull

Todd Warrior
Sep 16, 2005
10,475
NooBHA said:
Are they easy to operate ? Especially starting and stopping.

My Dad is quite old and although I live right in a City centre there are some hills - At his age even what to others would be a small gradient to other can seem like a mountain to so I thought. Next time I might put him on one of them; however I don't want him to fall off and do more damage than walking up a hill. I aint that desperate for my inheritance just yet
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Probably.

What puts the willies up me is the difference between a walking trip and going over the front if the front wheel hit something.

It is brilliant tech but sadly 'accidents waiting to happen'.
 




schmunk

schmunk

Why oh why oh why?
Jan 19, 2018
10,344
Mid mid mid Sussex
Motogull said:
Probably.

What puts the willies up me is the difference between a walking trip and going over the front if the front wheel hit something.

It is brilliant tech but sadly 'accidents waiting to happen'.
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I've seen that happen to a woman on Tower Bridge, in traffic at about 20 mph - I was cycling next to her. Arse over tit and a bit bruised, but luckily not hit by a vehicle.
 




schmunk

schmunk

Why oh why oh why?
Jan 19, 2018
10,344
Mid mid mid Sussex
zefarelly said:
You need a license and all the trimmings to ride a 50cc moded . . . . in reality, what is the difference . . . .its a powered vehicle.
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Electric scooters are *supposed* to be limited to 15.5mph and weigh about 15kg.

Motor scooters are limited at 30mph and weigh about 100kg.

That's a significant difference in the potential energy transfer in a collision.
 




zefarelly

zefarelly

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
22,786
Sussex, by the sea
schmunk said:
Electric scooters are *supposed* to be limited to 15.5mph and weigh about 15kg.

Motor scooters are limited at 30mph and weigh about 100kg.

That's a significant difference in the potential energy transfer in a collision.
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mopeds are more like 60 kg, still heavier

granny wagons weigh more and do 15 mph, they need something too.

*supposed* I've seen them overtaking cars on the road!

at the end of the day a powered vehicle is a powered vehicle. It has the ability to be uncontrolled and cause injury and damage to third parties.
 




dejavuatbtn

dejavuatbtn

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2010
7,573
Henfield
These things are dangerous but I guess people that use them know that. Appears that they have caused accidents when used on pavements. As do bikes. I would have bikes and these things registered at point of sale and registration transferred with ownership. Having a recognisable plate will enable law enforcement - most vehicle crimes seem to be picked up by cctv these days. Offence not to display registration plate.
I’d prefer to have only one place they can be used otherwise they will chop and change road/pavement/road just to get round the traffic. I’d keep them off of pavements and have them used on the road like mopeds, minimum age 16, requiring helmet, insurance, lights, brakes, and sticking to the left hand side of the road, including cycle lanes where available. I’d also make it compulsory for them to be blue and white striped with a yellow glow in the dark seagull on the front and back.
 








Super Steve Earle

Super Steve Earle

Well-known member
Feb 23, 2009
8,928
North of Brighton








Sorrel

Sorrel

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
2,941
Back in East Sussex
I saw the police in London stopping people on e-scooters in the cycle lane by the Thames this week, so action is being taken. But of course there are a lot more people than enforcement.

Generally I've no problem with them on cycle lanes, but I can see in traffic they can be annoying and very much so on the pavement. I think in London it only works on the pavement at the moment because there are fewer people, but I'm not sure it will stay like that. Certainly not if the tourists ever come back.

As to what to do with them? There's no road license required for part-electric booster cycles is there? Well, if there is then my old parents have been breaking the law. With speed limiters in place I think scooters should be allowed where bikes are allowed.

There will be people being dickheads with them, of course, just as some cyclists are gits and plenty of drivers too. And pedestrians will need to be careful, just as people have learned to be in London.
 


dazzer6666

dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
55,518
Burgess Hill
Nearly flattened a kid on an electric scooter this afternoon……he came shooting out of a junction in front of me without looking - luckily I’d seen him approaching the junction and slowed. Travelling maybe 20-25mph, no helmet, no signals and about 14 years old so no testing/experience/licence.

No doubt would have been judged my fault if I’d wiped him out.
 




S

Saunders

Well-known member
Oct 1, 2017
2,296
Brighton
Blue3 said:
Having used one I think the wheels are to small and as such have a tendency to flip if they encounter even a small pot hole or even worse the rider is zigzagging around these obstacles making them a danger to other road users, they should be used on cycle lanes and where appropriate paved ares only
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There are more pot holes and drain covers in cycle lanes than anywhere else in the road.
 


Motogull

Motogull

Todd Warrior
Sep 16, 2005
10,475
dazzer6666 said:
Nearly flattened a kid on an electric scooter this afternoon……he came shooting out of a junction in front of me without looking - luckily I’d seen him approaching the junction and slowed. Travelling maybe 20-25mph, no helmet, no signals and about 14 years old so no testing/experience/licence.

No doubt would have been judged my fault if I’d wiped him out.
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I can't think of a reason not to get a dashcam anymore.
 


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