E-bike and E-scooter - ongoing issues and discussion (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[Bmblbzzz]

Yes. Let's stop pretending we can decide whether these things exist or not, and instead think about how we adapt them to us and us to them.

[grahame]

Yes. Let's stop pretending we can decide whether these things exist or not, and instead think about how we adapt them to us and us to them.

I have been in Gibraltar today and it was good to see escooters in regular traffic use.   A google search took me to https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2020/05/27/new-rules-for-e-scooters-in-gibraltar-as-parking-scheme-gets-green-light/ which explains the background.  Might be a similar basis for the setting up of things in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)?

[stuving]

I have been in Gibraltar today and it was good to see escooters in regular traffic use. 

So "escooters" is what scooters are called in Spanish, is it?

[ellendune]

I have been in Gibraltar today and it was good to see escooters in regular traffic use. 

So "escooters" is what scooters are called in Spanish, is it?

Umm I didn't think that Spanish was an official language in Gibraltar

[TaplowGreen]

Yes. Let's stop pretending we can decide whether these things exist or not, and instead think about how we adapt them to us and us to them.

I have been in Gibraltar today and it was good to see escooters in regular traffic use.   A google search took me to https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2020/05/27/new-rules-for-e-scooters-in-gibraltar-as-parking-scheme-gets-green-light/ which explains the background.  Might be a similar basis for the setting up of things in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)?

I'll just leave this here. Many other similar examples are available.....

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/21/14-year-old-girl-dies-after-crash-with-van-while-riding-e-scooter-in-london

[TonyK]

Umm I didn't think that Spanish was an official language in Gibraltar

Not official, but spoken, along with English and Llanito.

I'll just leave this here. Many other similar examples are available.....

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/21/14-year-old-girl-dies-after-crash-with-van-while-riding-e-scooter-in-london

This tragic incident takes us back to my points about control. An e-scooter is a motorised vehicle in the eyes of the law, and as the Travelwest website makes clear, a provisional driving licence is a minimum requirement. A 14-year old should not have been riding one on a public road, something that needs to be made abundantly clear. The case can be made that allowing use of privately owned scooters will actually make enforcement of the rules easier than is the case currently, where anything being ridden outside of the rental trials is illegal anyway, so why worry about the rest of the rules.

[Bmblbzzz]

But you can ride an e-bike, which in law has the same maximum speed*, at 14. And in many countries you can legally ride a moped, with a top speed double that, at the same age.

*Strictly speaking an electrically assisted pedal cycle has no maximum speed, and is not subject to speed limits, but the electric assistance should cut out at 15mph.

[TonyK]

But you can ride an e-bike, which in law has the same maximum speed*, at 14. And in many countries you can legally ride a moped, with a top speed double that, at the same age.

*Strictly speaking an electrically assisted pedal cycle has no maximum speed, and is not subject to speed limits, but the electric assistance should cut out at 15mph.

I think the distinction is that an e-bike needs pedalling like the traditional old fashioned non-e-bike. The motor is to assist, rather than propel. Also, it has inherent stability - take your hands of the bars, and it continues in a straight line along the road. Try that on a scooter, and you continue in a different straight line, experiencing a rapid decrease in potential energy until your face meets the road.

You can ride a moped legally at 14 in other countries, true, especially those where life seems a little cheaper than in our own nanny state. There are still places where a girl can marry at 13, or even younger, which doesn't make it a good idea.

[Marlburian]

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/20130248.e-scooters-reading-man-fined-riding-across-reading/

[Red Squirrel]

Riders must ...hold a full provisional driving licence...

Can anyone explain to me what a full provisional driving licence is? Is it the same thing as a provisional full driving licence?

[Western Pathfinder]

A figment of crap journalism.

[Bmblbzzz]

I'll give you a provisional answer to that question now and reply in full at a later date.

[CyclingSid]

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/20130248.e-scooters-reading-man-fined-riding-across-reading/

All I can say is he was extremely unlucky, there are hundreds of them round Reading, plus motorised bicycles (especially round Whitley) and Traffic Police are noticeable by there complete absence in Reading. I imagine he must have been doing something else to catch the police's attention.

[ellendune]

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/20130248.e-scooters-reading-man-fined-riding-across-reading/

All I can say is he was extremely unlucky, there are hundreds of them round Reading, plus motorised bicycles (especially round Whitley) and Traffic Police are noticeable by there complete absence in Reading. I imagine he must have been doing something else to catch the police's attention.

Either unlucky or his driving was of a standard that called attention to the police. 

[Marlburian]

It seems that escooters are very popular in Ukraine at the moment - handy for getting around war damage.

Separately, a Sunday Times poll of 4,980 readers found that 41% thought that the use of private escooters should be legalised (and 59% did not, so no "don't knows). For what that is worth.