Electric scooters ?

452

Car_54 said:

452 said:

Are you saying you can use an electric scooter on the pavement? If you are then you're wrong as according to the Road Traffic Act that's part of a road.

The Road Traffic Act(s) says nothing of the kind.

However, riding anything on the pavement (footpath) is an offence under the Highways Act 1835.

I think you'll find a road runs from building line to building line and includes the footpath. 

AdrianC

Jackmydad said:

AdrianC said:

There should be a law against people doing stupid things with motorised conveyances!

There should be enforced laws against people doing stupid things with motorised conveyances. . . 

That is a different question.

Car_54

452 said:

Car_54 said:

452 said:

Are you saying you can use an electric scooter on the pavement? If you are then you're wrong as according to the Road Traffic Act that's part of a road.

The Road Traffic Act(s) says nothing of the kind.

However, riding anything on the pavement (footpath) is an offence under the Highways Act 1835.

I think you'll find a road runs from building line to building line and includes the footpath. 

True, but not because of the Road Traffic Acts.

lcc86

I thought I would resurrect this thread rather than start a new one as this has lots of useful info already. 

I've started to see electric scooters everywhere, and thought they must've become legal given how popular they now are, so I started looking into buying one to use for short journeys and potentially commuting as well as the range on some of them is pretty good. I now realise they're still illegal but I don't really understand why. To me There's not much difference between them and an e-bike or even a normal bike or scooter. I feel like their use should be promoted, particularly for shorter journeys instead of using a car.

I have some health issues so can't always walk everywhere and I thought this would be great for my circumstances (it's also small enough to not take up too much space, another bonus) and better for the environment if it gets a few people out of their cars. Police don't seem to be enforcing the rules on them given how many you see but I don't want to be "that person" who does fall foul of the law.

I do a lot of driving and see a plenty of motorists, bikers, cyclists who drive or ride like idiots, but don't get the government's position on e-scooters being so radically different, particularly when they're legal in a lot of European countries. 

Does anyone have any idea on when the legislation may be reviewed? I don't want to buy one unless they're legal but it just seems odd that they seem to be treated so differently. 

Car_54

They're not being treated differently.They are mechanically powered vehicles which cannot be used on the road unless they are registered, taxed, insured, carry number plates and comply with construction and us regulations.

It is the e-bikes which are treated differently - they have an exemption for some reason.

AdrianC

Car_54 said:

They're not being treated differently.They are mechanically powered vehicles which cannot be used on the road unless they are registered, taxed, insured, carry number plates and comply with construction and us regulations.

It is the e-bikes which are treated differently - they have an exemption for some reason.

They don't have an "exemption"...
They fall into a specific mechanically-powered-vehicle category for C&U regs.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrically-assisted-pedal-cycles-eapcs/electrically-assisted-pedal-cycles-eapcs-in-great-britain-information-sheet

Electric scooters simply don't meet those requirements, hence aren't legal under the e-bike legislation.
There hasn't been any legislation passed which creates the relevant category that would cover them.

Car_54

AdrianC said:

Car_54 said:

They're not being treated differently.They are mechanically powered vehicles which cannot be used on the road unless they are registered, taxed, insured, carry number plates and comply with construction and us regulations.

It is the e-bikes which are treated differently - they have an exemption for some reason.

They don't have an "exemption"...
They fall into a specific mechanically-powered-vehicle category for C&U regs.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electrically-assisted-pedal-cycles-eapcs/electrically-assisted-pedal-cycles-eapcs-in-great-britain-information-sheet

Electric scooters simply don't meet those requirements, hence aren't legal under the e-bike legislation.
There hasn't been any legislation passed which creates the relevant category that would cover them.

"The EAPC regulations1 as amended2 set out the requirements that EAPCs must satisfy if they are not to be treated as motor vehicles when used on roads in GB - i.e. do not need to be licensed and registered etc."
That looks awfully like an exemption to me.

Jack_Cork

Tigsteroonie said:

Electric (stand-on) scooters are not yet legal for use on pavement, cycle paths nor roads in the UK. There was talk of accelerating a trial of them in certain cities (I remember Birmingham volunteering) but have read nothing about that actually having started. They are available for sale as they can be used on private land; I just don't have a huge stately home estate in which to use one ... I do rather fancy one as an option for commuting, so long as I can use the cycle lanes to do so.

There will still be prats who ride them against the rules, whatever the rules turn out to be, just as there are cyclists who think it's okay to jump a red light. Last week I saw a scooter prat riding on the road, keeping up with his mate on their bicycle who was on the pavement; both were coming towards me, so this scooter was being ridden on the road against the flow of traffic. Such prats will probably be why scooters won't be legalised for road use.

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/trial-legal-e-scooter-rental-4567490 

foxy-stoat

venomx said:

lordmountararat said:

A young lad shot out in front of me yesterday on one of these lethal electric scooters. I didn't have the opportunity to remind him that riding these wretched things is only legal on private land. If the government does change the law, I hope it insists on age limits, helmet, insurance and training.

No different from riding a push bike like an idiot though ?

Or a car for that matter, only difference is you have someone to claim off when the numpty hits you.

Not sure how many people have been killed on an E-Scooter, think there was 1 a few months ago - a lot more people die in "legal" cars driven "legally".  Around here as long as your not riding like an idiot, wear high vis and crack hat then the police seem not to bother.  One chap I know with one got stopped and they let him go on his way as they were only worried if it was a petrol scooter.  Not sure if their attitude has changed since.

lcc86

foxy-stoat said:

venomx said:

lordmountararat said:

A young lad shot out in front of me yesterday on one of these lethal electric scooters. I didn't have the opportunity to remind him that riding these wretched things is only legal on private land. If the government does change the law, I hope it insists on age limits, helmet, insurance and training.

No different from riding a push bike like an idiot though ?

Or a car for that matter, only difference is you have someone to claim off when the numpty hits you.

Not sure how many people have been killed on an E-Scooter, think there was 1 a few months ago - a lot more people die in "legal" cars driven "legally".  Around here as long as your not riding like an idiot, wear high vis and crack hat then the police seem not to bother.  One chap I know with one got stopped and they let him go on his way as they were only worried if it was a petrol scooter.  Not sure if their attitude has changed since.

I'm aware of a BBC presenter who died after being hit by a lorry on her e-scooter and it being discussed on the news but haven't heard of any other deaths myself. As morbid as it may seem I wouldn't view them as more or less dangerous than, say, cycling or riding a motorbike. Any road user not in a car is going to be more vulnerable (I say this as someone who's ridden horses on the road). I just find it an odd situation, albeit one that seems to be very rarely enforced.

I guess it's just a case of accepting that our road laws don't always make complete sense. Maybe I'll look into an e-bike if I can find a foldable one that's a similar price to the scooter I was looking at (wishful thinking perhaps!).