Evidence Session
E-scooters
Wednesday 8 February at 09:30, Committee Room 15
Watch live on
parliamentlive.tv
The Transport Committee will revisit the ongoing question of how
private e-scooters should be regulated, and what has been learnt
from the trial public-hire schemes in towns and cities across
England.
Despite their prevalence, the use of privately owned e-scooters
on public land remains illegal.
Public-hire trials commenced in July 2020 and were
initially due to last until 2021. In July 2022 the trial period
was extended to May 2024.
In this session, MPs will question witnesses including local
government leaders from areas with ongoing trials, Commander Kyle
Gordon of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and
representatives of Guide Dogs, Halfords and Voi. They will be
asked for their views on issues such as:
· What has been learnt since
the Committee’s e-scooters report from
2020
· What consideration should
be given to the role of e-scooters in crime
· Whether the Department for
Transport's recent evaluation report has
demonstrated the positive benefits of e-scooters
· What additional safety and
environmental considerations may need to be considered as the
trial period continues
· How the effects of
e-scooters on the street environment and interaction with
pedestrians can be managed.
There will also be questions to Justin Stevenson, Head of Design
at Halfords, about what retailers can do to ensure customers are
both of age and aware of the legal position of private
e-scooters.
Other panellists may be asked which organisations or authorities
should share responsibility for educating the public about safe
use of e-scooters, and how best to do so.
Since early 2022, ministers have given mixed signals about the
possibility of legislation being brought forward by the end of
the current Parliament to regulate the use and retail of
e-scooters. In December the Department
said it is still considering plans to legalise privately-owned
e-scooters, but that no decisions have been made about technical
requirements and expectations on users’ behaviour. Currently,
there are no current safety or performance standards, and a wide
range of models are available.
This session follows the Committee’s inquiry into e-scooters that
concluded in 2020. Among its recommendations were: that using a
private e-scooter should not require a driving licence; The
Government should monitor collisions during the trial period to
determine future insurance requirements; local authorities should
determine speed limits for e-scooters in their area; robust
enforcement measures to eliminate pavement use of
e-scooters.
The Department agreed or partly agreed with
all the Committee’s recommendations.
Witnesses from
09:30
· Commander Kyle Gordon, NPCC
Lead for Roads Policing Operations at National Police Chiefs'
Council
· Clive Wood, Lead Regional
Policy and Campaigns Manager at Guide Dogs
· Justin Stevenson, Head of
Design at Halfords
· David G Davies, Executive
Director at Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety
(PACTS)
From 10:30
· Councillor Daniel
Barrington, Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy,
Liverpool City Council
· Brian Matthews, Head of
Transport Innovation, Milton Keynes Council
· Matthew Pencharz, Head of
Public Policy for UK, Ireland and Netherlands, Voi
