Privately owned E-Scooters have finally been given the green light in parliament this week as the UK Government has announced plans to update e-scooter legislation in this parliamentary session.
Following the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday (10th May), a Government spokesperson has confirmed that e-scooter laws will be updated in the upcoming Transport Bill.
James Padden commented “Today’s Transport bill points to the need for innovation to drive decarbonisation of the transport sector as well as providing consumers with new choices to get them from A to B. There is no better technology that is ripe for expansion and delivering on this pledge than e-scooters by expanding the current trial based system into a full opening up of the UK market by allowing the private-use of these vehicles on public roads. It is time that legislation catches up with the innovation of industry and demand from consumers but more than that, this is a potentially critical development for climate action.”
There are currently more than 30 trial scooter rental schemes being run across the country, as the Government plans to use safety data collected from the schemes to inform legislation.
Padden said: “The trial approach undertaken so far has helped the industry and local authorities establish a safe and effective model for incorporating e-scooters into the transport system across towns and cities in the UK but now is the right time to go further and fully open up the UK market. With the overwhelming majority of trials a success the industry is now bursting at the seams for an e-scooter revolution that will see the mode of transport become commonplace, reducing car trips and carbon emissions.”
Mr Shapps said the Government plans to crack down on the illegal use of private e-scooters on the roads, by regulating standards concerning speed, power, lights and other details.
Whilst those exact details and dates are still to be confirmed, we are delighted the UK parliament is moving in this direction.
More details to come as soon as we have them...