When I first heard London was introducing e-scooters I was delighted. I have experienced these in several other cities and was waiting for them to arrive in London. The time has finally come. Last week, the borough of Camden was the 10th borough to join the trial period since its introduction in June. I share my thoughts on my experiences so far.
E-Scooters In London
The scooters are available from 3 providers: Lime, Dott, Tier and all have designated parking areas. The scooters have speed limits as well as no go areas with Transport for London (TfL) making it clear that safety is at the forefront of the trial. Some of the rules include:
Users must be 18+ and have a driving license
maximum speed of 12.5mph
Vehicle lights on at all times
Large wheels
Vehicles stop automatically in no go zones
E-Scooters trial availability in London (TfL) ➡️
*excludes no go and safe zones.
In terms of the positives, these are pretty obvious. They provide sustainable transport as well as additional transport to what is already available, whether that be complementing public transport or replacing cars altogether. In addition, the providers have done a great job making the scooters safe and also include an iPhone charging dock.
A good way to introduce the negatives is by sharing my first journey.
The first hurdle was unknowingly having to provide my driving license. Unexpected and time consuming, but the right thing. Lime was unable to accept my license, so I had to download a new app, “Dott” and was ready to go. I was barely moving. I felt like I was riding at snail’s speed. I later found there is a speed limit of 8mph for the first ride for safety reasons. In my opinion, this was more dangerous than it was safe as there was a disproportionate speed difference between myself and the flowing traffic. The final issue was not being able to park. I eventually figured out that there were designated parking spots and made my way to one of them. I parked the scooter and ended my journey. An unenjoyable experience, but the first week the scooters were introduced in my area, and I accepted this is what happens when you are one of the first trying a pilot product.
Since, I have had several more rides, much more successful, although still some issues.
Designated parking spots. These might be related to the trial, but are definitely not convenient. Ideally, several more parking spaces will be introduced as there are not enough. The other extreme is the lime/uber bikes who can park anywhere and are chaotic. The solution is probably somewhere in the middle.
Slow Speed. Currently, the maximum speed is 12.5mph. We will have to wait and see if this is part of the trial, and whilst I am no expert in urban mobility, this is way too slow. The speed should probably be around the average Londoner’s cycling speed.
Fluctuating Speeds and No Go Zones. Some areas have slower speed limits, and others, such as parks, have no go zones. It is hard to know these zones prior to a trip, and this can sometimes be a frustrating process.
Rider Safety. This will probably require a lot more research for city planners, but the streets of London are currently not safe enough for cyclists and e-scooters. Cars dominate the city and planners have to find a way to change the dynamics of the city.
Helmets. Another issue is how we can enforce drivers to wear helmets, similar to seat belts in cars.
These are my personal thoughts, and I am sure each rider has their own experiences.
Let’s quickly look at the data provided by TfL ➡️
Originally, one of the main concerns for stakeholders was safety. The data shows there have only been 5 serious injuries from 165,000 trips. This is on average one serious incident per 33,000 trips. This is good news, and promoting the data will be key in putting stakeholders’ minds at ease.
If the scooters remain safe, then surely we will be able to conclude that the trial is successful. So far, 10 out of the 33 London boroughs have introduced e-scooters and hopefully, all London boroughs will have done so by the end of 2022.
This is great news for London and certainly a step in the right direction providing sustainable and easy transport for all Londoners to enjoy.
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