Legalise e-scooters to reduce car use
The Centre for London think tank published its report titled “Micromobility in London” on Thursday. The report looks at how “emerging vehicles” could benefit the capital and reduce car use.
The report called on the government to completely legalise e-scooters to provide the public with a wider choice of transport options and so reduce reliance on cars.
The Centre for London said “The shift to these emerging vehicles is already happening but we need the government to catch up and introduce policies which encourage safe ridership of e-scooters and e-bikes on our streets and ensures anyone who wants to use these vehicles is able to do so. Legalising private ownership and riding is the first step towards building a gold standard for micromobility in the UK, with Transport for London – and other equivalent authorities in towns and cities across the country given the powers to arrange shared schemes for micromobility vehicles as they emerge.”
The report found that micro mobility devices produce between 34 and 90 percent fewer Co2 emissions and produce no harmful pollutants.
E-scooter rental trials are currently underway on several London boroughs and the 2,700 devotes currently available for rent have made more than 80,000 journeys in August alone and 165,000 since the trial began in June.
The report specifically recommends the legalisation of privately owned devices –
- National government should legalise private ownership and safe ridership of e-scooters, alongside shared schemes. All vehicles must meet minimum safety standards at the point of sale and while being ridden, such as a maximum permitted speed and having lights.
- National government should offer tax incentives and loans to all citizens wanting to buy a micromobility vehicle, to make them as accessible as possible.
Rideables.org urges the government to bring forward a framework for the legalisation of micromobility devices as soon as possible and to work with organisations for cycling, micromobility use and TfL to encourage development of improved infrastructure to encourage to move from cars to micromobility.
