Forum Topic

E-Scooters

See front page article. If I understand this correctly, every E-scooter on CHR is, by definition, illegal.

Carl Wynne ● 1967d47 Comments

Was in Richmond today. A fair few of them neatly parked and ready to go.

Ken Munn ● 1967d

Science as they say, is down stream from culture.

Lucas Cox ● 1967d

Government-approved Ealing and Richmond council trials (among others including Canary Wharf) coming to a street near you. For some who still think all of Chiswick is in LBH, it ain't, so you will see the Ealing escooter trials on the streets of Chiswick.

Claire Moran ● 1967d

Metropolitan Police chief superintendent Simon Ovens has said that the Met is “pleased to support this trial” but has warned that the use of privately-owned e-scooters will remain illegal and “will be dealt with by way of seizure”.Seizure? That seems way over the top to me. Whatever your views on e-scooters cyclists riding on the pavement or running red lights don't have their bikes seized nor do motorists have their vehicles taken for law breaking.For all sorts of reasons I can't see this idea catching on, far better to make private ownership legal and if it becomes necessary, licenced.

Adrian Irving ● 1966d

Another point.If you are confident enough to ride an e-scooter you're confident enough to ride a bicycle. On a bike you can go where you want when you want, you don't have to pay each time, you can carry a load and don't have to have a driving licence so why would you choose to hire an e-scooter?Yes, I can see a limited demand but it ain't going to change the world.

Adrian Irving ● 1966d

Motorists often have their cars seized. If a police officer has reason to believe someone is driving without insurance or driving not according to his or hers driving licence the the vehicle can be seized, and often is.

Nicholas Beard ● 1966d

If Chiswick isn’t in LBH then why am I paying them my council tax?

Phil Spivey ● 1966d

At more than £3 for 15 minutes I don't see a lot of demand for these.We would be better off encouraging cycling, as it is a lot safer.  The small wheels on the E scooters mean that it is very easy to go over the handlebars if you hit a bump or pothole.I can see some uses for the E scooter.  For commuters coming into a mainline station like Paddington or King's Cross, an E scooter would be good for the last bit of the journey, and it would be small enough to take on the train with you.However, for most journeys a bike would be far better because it is safer.

Al Webber ● 1966d

Surely the difference between E scooters and bikes is there is no physical exertion on an e scooter.

Maggie Dodge ● 1966d

Another difference is that if a bike hits you on the pavement you'll probably escape with nothing more than a few bruises, but if you're hit by an e-scooter going at 15-20mph, you could sustain serious injury.

Colin Jordan ● 1966d

As someone pointed out yesterday, E-Scooters probably won't get people to get out of cars, but more likely get people who were going to walk to take a motorised easier option, so they won't make much of a difference, other than for those who want to get somewhere quicker than walking.

J Morse ● 1966d

Good point but I was thinking about  proportionality Nicholas.

Adrian Irving ● 1966d

Whatever your position on the e-scooters is, please refrain from joking about the matter, let alone creating a spoof video in which a e-scooters are being blown up.

Anna Spiteri ● 1966d

What?

Carl Wynne ● 1966d

Ditto 'what'?

Keith Iddon ● 1966d

Especially not e-scooters parked outside Outsider Tart.

Richard Greenhough ● 1966d

Although smaller than cycle wheels you will notice from the photo on the front page that these particular e-scooters for hire have much larger wheels than many that you see around.

Philippa Bond ● 1966d

Nearly run over by a charming woman on the pavement this morning on her own electricity bike -- she shouted at me to get out of the way - I just moved and then she said ' fxxx off' charming !!!

Helen Bamberger ● 1966d

The London Borough of Hounslow was busy telling everyone in December that we would be part of the E-Scooter trial. But somehow it has not come to pass.A study published today in the BMJ found that over a six month period in Berlin there were 248 E-Scooter related hospital admissions. 15% of those injured had a traumatic brain injury. Only one percent of scooter riders were wearing helmets. TfL's Will Norman (the godfather of Cycleway 9 and LTNs) says "This trial will have safety at its heart, bringing in rigorous precautions and parking measures while taking the needs of all road users into account."So that's alright then. But please remember to wear your helmet even if it makes you look like a "sitzpinkler" as they say in Berlin.

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 1966d

A Lime E-scooter was left on the narrow pavement running in front of the apartments in Chiswick Road.  It arrived last night and although I have no idea how long it will remain there, it does not take too much imagination to realise how this will impact on some people who will have difficulty in trying to pass it

Eve Fay ● 1964d

Aren't they supposed to be left in designated places, and shouldn't some GPS facility alert Lime to the infringement so they can punish the miscreant? And isn't Chiswick Road in Hounslow and thus outside the trial zone so the scooter would stop working? Report to Lime and Ealing? Or move it?

Peter Evans ● 1964d

Peter, and what are you going to do about the hundreds of thousands of miscreants blocking our roads with their motorcars. To complain about a solitary scooter left lying around beggars belief !

Chris Vessey ● 1964d

Calm down, Vessey old boy. If you're going to get your knickers in a twist about cars it's going to either be a short life (ending in cardiac infarction) of a long and bitter one. Keep pedalling!

Jeffrey Cope ● 1964d

Looks like the Old Bill can act if they want to - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9696125/Police-seize-100-e-scooters-ridden-illegally-London-just-two-days.html

peter king ● 1957d

Finally tfl are acting too - https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tfl-e-scooters-forbidden-london-tube-railway-stations-b941890.html#comments-area

peter king ● 1952d

So people are actually riding them on trains and platforms?https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tfl-e-scooters-forbidden-london-tube-railway-stations-b941890.html

Philippa Bond ● 1951d

God speed to the lot of them. They will be on the right side of history.

Lucas Cox ● 1951d

Met were doing a sting at Hyde Park Corner yesterday evening issuing PCNs for electric scooters. I showed them several black cabs dangerously running the red lights at speed as dozens of peds, joggers and cyclists were waiting to cross. It was easy to do this because all you have to do is wait for the lights to change and you can guarantee every time it will happen. They shrugged and got back to fining the bewildered lady who was doing us all a favour by not being in her car or a cab.

Paul Campbell ● 1951d

Seen it myself at Hanger Lane station Phillipa

peter king ● 1951d

I just saw some tool zoom past me near the porsche garage at about 30mph!

Basil Finnis ● 1951d

But the 'bewildered lady' was breaking the law, I suspect not so unknowingly. There's no doubt that electric scooters are a handy and flexible mode of transport and some legal framework will have to be devised to accommodate them, though they hardly meet the definition of  'active travel' in the same way as cycling and walking.

Peter Evans ● 1950d

A pedestrian in NYC was killed by an e-scooter recently.Would you consider that a favor, Paul?Locally I've seen children, clearly not of driving age, riding one of these trial scooters on the pavement. I know Tom thinks he can gaslight some. But not all. I remember it well...

David Lesniak ● 1950d

I have talked to many escooter riders in central London to warn them about police stings and the vast majority have had no idea they were illegal. Unlike the many phone drivers I have talked to who get quite furious when you remind them of the law as they are very knowingly breaking it.eScooters are not active travel but they are micro-mobility and they are part of a modal mix that reduces use of massive unsuitable heavy polluting vehicles for a decent percentage of single person trips in cities. You are quite right that a legal framework will have to be devised to accommodate them but first we have to go through the rigmarole of trial and consultation in a vain attempt to  assuage the Reactionary Conservatives who will recite "man bites dog stories" while ignoring the 5 people killed every day by cars on UK roads.

Paul Campbell ● 1950d

Yes, Philippa. I watched a man in a suit ride one the length of Gunnersbury station platform last week. The train driver tried to speak to him at Richmond but he didn't stop to listen.

Kate Vicic ● 1950d

So hoping very soon for foldable Mono-eCopters. "Up Up & Away" ~ Aye?

Bobbie Carnegie ● 1950d

"who get quite furious when you remind them of the law as they are very knowingly breaking it"Sounds like cyclists to me. Also sounds like cyclists on the main carriageway who talk on their cell phones while riding down the middle of the lane.

David Lesniak ● 1950d

Reader: it is not illegal to cycle while using a mobile phone and not only is it not illegal but it is often advisable to ride in the middle of the lane and indeed this is encouraged and recommended by the road traffic teams of the police.

Paul Campbell ● 1950d

I suppose it is no sense and no personal responsibility.  Then you wonder why we have to have so many notices which people will say if they actually admit to seeing them that they didn't understand.

Philippa Bond ● 1950d

Speaking on a mobile whilst on a bicycle is one thing,, although dialling or accessing a number would take your eyes off the road. Reading a text or the screen generally ought to be illegal if it’s not already. Due care and attention.

Maggie Dodge ● 1950d

David Lesniak, one death by e-scooter is one death too many. So how about 38000 deaths annually on the roads of the Great U.S. of A ? Let's talk about all those poor souls slaughtered by those wonderful fu...ng ba...rds .

Chris Vessey ● 1950d

Basil, I see many tools speeding at 70+ on the GWR every day in their too fast motorcars. That's well after rush hour of course. During rush hour nothing moves.

Chris Vessey ● 1949d

Kate that sounds as if he was riding on the track from Gunnersbury to Richmond ?

Chris Vessey ● 1949d

Maggie as a cyclist I would find it nigh on impossible to use my phone whilst riding. I have not tried and neither would I, unsafe and not very clever.

Chris Vessey ● 1949d

"..I see many tools speeding at 70+ on the GWR every day.."They are known as "trains".

Richard Greenhough ● 1949d

"I would find it nigh on impossible to use my phone whilst riding. I have not tried and neither would I, unsafe and not very clever"Happens all the time. Indeed, not clever. But Paulo supports it. Even though it endangers the cyclist and every other single road user around them. But more important to Paul the idiot can chat with their bestie while ignoring the road.

David Lesniak ● 1949d

Yes Chris, they're idiots too and should be fined heavily. But they don't drive down the middle of the pavement though!

Basil Finnis ● 1949d

Message removed

Fatima Traore ● 1948d

Saw one around 11 pm the other evening Dressed in black. No helmet. No lights. Tall and narrow profile and he cut across a cyclists path the other day and nearly knocked the bike off. So dangerous

Margie Frew ● 1946d