‘I know they’re exciting – but calm down!’ Britain’s love-hate affair with the e-scooter
There is a crime wave on our streets, being committed by insouciant teens, commuting executives and even pensioners. Gleefully they glide across our inner cities, scarcely breaking a sweat as they overtake cyclists on stiff climbs. They descend with ease, hair whipping in the wind, gravity and electric engine working together to deliver them to their destination at sometimes staggering speeds.
There are hundreds of thousands of these lawbreakers in the country today. They flout the law openly. You will have seen them in cycle lanes, main roads and even on the pavements. Perhaps you’ve almost been knocked over by one yourself. London, Hampshire, the West Midlands and Sussex appear to be particular hotspots. They’re the e-scooter riders of the UK, and they have already come to a street near you.
Despite it being illegal to ride a private e-scooter anywhere in the UK that is not private land, use has soared in recent years, with 1m private e-scooters imported into the UK since 2018, and about 750,000 believed to be in use. “The illegal e-scooters are demonstrating a clear unmet transport need,” says Lorna Stevenson, an e-scooter researcher at the University of Westminster. “There are people using them who won’t know they’re illegal, but others who do, and still see it as worth the risk. The question is, what is the rest of the transport system not providing to these people?”
Most private e-scooters are set to a limit of 30km/h (19mph), although some can go up to 60km/h. Cheaper models will set you back less than £100, although if you want to travel more than a couple of miles, you are looking at more like £300 or £400. They are sold by major retailers including Argos and Currys, with disclaimers against illegal use that are
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