[Travel] UK Electric Scooter Law... You decide.

[GT49er]

In France a e scooter rider on the pavement knocked over a pedestrian who sadly died and has been charged with manslaughter.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57664420

All the more reason for it to be illegal to ride them on the pavement.

 

[Billy in Bristol]

Spend most of my time in Bristol avoiding hipster twats on orange scooters....

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Similar to teenage boys and young men in cars then?

All the more reason for it to be illegal to ride them on the pavement.

But playing Devils Advocate, the pavement is the safest place for the scooterist, and nobody would even contemplate demanding manual scooters should be ridden on roads, yet they can travel at similar speeds.

 

[zefarelly]

Powered vehicles belong on the road. Anything over walking speed. Pavements are for padestrians.

 

[GT49er]

But playing Devils Advocate, the pavement is the safest place for the scooterist, and nobody would even contemplate demanding manual scooters should be ridden on roads, yet they can travel at similar speeds.

Up to the scooter riders to assess the risks and act accordingly, same as for cyclists, mountaineers, climbers, divers, horse riders, rally and racing drivers, TT motorcyclists and a host of other extreme sports - all of which can kill you (as occasionally even cricket can).
If some scooter riders choose to ride at night, without lights, with a dark hoodie pulled right down over their head, stoned, with headphones blairing out rave music at painful levels and without paying attention to their surroundings ............... well, that's the process of natural selection in my book!

 

[GT49er]

Powered vehicles and bicycles belong on the road. Anything over walking speed. Pavements are for padestrians.

Amended for you............

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Up to the scooter riders to assess the risks and act accordingly, same as for cyclists, mountaineers, climbers, divers, horse riders, rally and racing drivers, TT motorcyclists and a host of other extreme sports - all of which can kill you (as occasionally even cricket can).
If some scooter riders choose to ride at night, without lights, with a dark hoodie pulled right down over their head, stoned, with headphones blairing out rave music at painful levels and without paying attention to their surroundings ............... well, that's the process of natural selection in my book!

I must admit, I have borrowed one of these scooters and it was enormous fun (on private land I hasten to add). I don't fit the second paragraph demographic, being in my sixties and and paying a lot of attention! I'd love to see a solution that would encourage me to buy one. I can't see me risking my life on most roads, nor can I imagine helmetting up and wearing high viz clothing when I could use it to whizz up the empty pavement to the village to my local chippie or supermarket rather than crank up the car. Very environmentally friendly and pure pleasure if I'm honest. I'm not going to be mowing down other pensioners, that's for sure.

 

[zefarelly]

Amended for you............

I agree, although happy to see toddlers on bikes on the pavement until Dad takes off the stabilisers. . .

 

[GT49er]

I agree, although happy to see toddlers on bikes on the pavement until Dad takes off the stabilisers. . .

Yes. Maybe up to the age of ten, or when they start at secondary school, perhaps? Do they still offer cycle proficiency courses in the last year at primary school?

 

[GT49er]

I must admit, I have borrowed one of these scooters and it was enormous fun (on private land I hasten to add). I don't fit the second paragraph demographic, being in my sixties and and paying a lot of attention! I'd love to see a solution that would encourage me to buy one. I can't see me risking my life on most roads, nor can I imagine helmetting up and wearing high viz clothing when I could use it to whizz up the empty pavement to the village to my local chippie or supermarket rather than crank up the car. Very environmentally friendly and pure pleasure if I'm honest. I'm not going to be mowing down other pensioners, that's for sure.

Question is, do you - or did you - ride a bike, and if so did you ride it legally on the road? If you did, I can't see that a scooter would be any more dangerous to you or to other road users. I still ride a bike (occasionally) but I don't go as fast as these scooters dp these days!
It depends what roads you want to ride on - local roads are fine, IMHO, I could ride to the pub or sopermarket, but I wouldn't want to tackle the A27. Not many cyclists do these days either! - they stick to safer roads!

 

[zefarelly]

Yes. Maybe up to the age of ten, or when they start at secondary school, perhaps? Do they still offer cycle proficiency courses in the last year at primary school?

Good question . . . As a kid we had to do CP, and get a pass, and a badge, before we were allowed to cycle to school. My lad did a kind of CP about 5 years ago, it was nothing compared to what we did in the early 80's . . . .. funding slashed etc . ..

Sad. I don't want my lad on a scooter at 16, simply because he has no road craft/experience because he rarely cycles. Fortunately he's not interested.

 

[schmunk]

Yes. Maybe up to the age of ten, or when they start at secondary school, perhaps? Do they still offer cycle proficiency courses in the last year at primary school?

Yes they do - my Year 6 son is doing his in a couple of weeks.

 

[GT49er]

Good question . . . As a kid we had to do CP, and get a pass, and a badge, before we were allowed to cycle to school. My lad did a kind of CP about 5 years ago, it was nothing compared to what we did in the early 80's . . . .. funding slashed etc . ..

Sad. I don't want my lad on a scooter at 16, simply because he has no road craft/experience because he rarely cycles. Fortunately he's not interested.

No CP at my school. I was coming up for 9 when I got my first bike, and my Dad did the training - he would 'ride shotgun' behind me, slightly further out than me to protect me. Come to think of it, that was on the bloody A27 at Polegate!

 

[drew]

I've never been injured by a bicycle (apart from falling off my own in my younger days!) in more than 70 years, and I have no fear of it being any different with scooters.
In my solution, I will be on the pavement, they willl be on the road/cycle track, remember. As a pedestrian, I will of course take the usual care when crossing the road. And I will have the added satisfaction that insurers aren't making huge profits by charging high prices for a product people are forced to buy (if they want to ride a bike or scooter).

Good for you but I'm sure you accept there is a risk. Have your house ever burned down or been hit by lightning. Probably not but I bet you insure for it.

 

[GT49er]

Good for you but I'm sure you accept there is a risk. Have your house ever burned down or been hit by lightning. Probably not but I bet you insure for it.

If I am on the pavement, and scooters are on the road, there is no risk to me. If the scooter is illegally on the pavement, the rider will be prosecuted and damages can be awarded. Bicycle riders are not insured, and that's not a problem. Scooters no different.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

If I am on the pavement, and scooters are on the road, there is no risk to me. If the scooter is illegally on the pavement, the rider will be prosecuted and damages can be awarded. Bicycle riders are not insured, and that's not a problem. Scooters no different.

But bicycle riders not being insured is a problem. My son in his 30s was carefully crossing a road in central London when a cyclist burst out at speed from behind a bus. The cyclist hit my son, ruined an expensive suit and left him with a back injury, whilst cycling away again at speed and still shouting at my injured son. A hit and run with no consequences let alone the opportunity to get insurance details which he wouldn't have given anyway. Trouble is, you can't stop a bad, dangerous, irresponsible cyclist from just jumping back on the bike and cycling away from an injured pedestrian. A registration plate on the bike might help if visible.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Question is, do you - or did you - ride a bike, and if so did you ride it legally on the road? If you did, I can't see that a scooter would be any more dangerous to you or to other road users. I still ride a bike (occasionally) but I don't go as fast as these scooters dp these days!
It depends what roads you want to ride on - local roads are fine, IMHO, I could ride to the pub or sopermarket, but I wouldn't want to tackle the A27. Not many cyclists do these days either! - they stick to safer roads!

I last rode a bike 50 years ago on the road. I still have my Cycling Proficiency and Knights of the Road certificates, but I wouldn't cycle on the road anywhere any more than I might scooter. Scooters are even less visible then bikes on the road. I don't have answers, I just got a kick out of riding a scooter. Makes you feel young and carefree again.

 

[zefarelly]

No CP at my school. I was coming up for 9 when I got my first bike, and my Dad did the training - he would 'ride shotgun' behind me, slightly further out than me to protect me. Come to think of it, that was on the bloody A27 at Polegate!

That's exactly how I cycled with my son. For a while I thought he was getting into it, but having spent a small fortune on a nice MTB he lost interest . . . 5 miles to school, he did it twice and decided it was too much like hard work.

 

[drew]

No CP at my school. I was coming up for 9 when I got my first bike, and my Dad did the training - he would 'ride shotgun' behind me, slightly further out than me to protect me. Come to think of it, that was on the bloody A27 at Polegate!

I'm going to guess that when you were 9 there were considerably fewer vehicles on the road!! In 1970 when I was 8 there were about 11m licenced vehicles on the roads, now there are nearly 33m.

Regarding another of your posts, I'm really pleased you consider yourself completely safe by staying in you 'pavement bubble'!!!

 

[Garage_Doors]

But playing Devils Advocate, the pavement is the safest place for the scooterist, and nobody would even contemplate demanding manual scooters should be ridden on roads, yet they can travel at similar speeds.

safest for who ? ( or is it whom?).