Escoot around It’s wheel good fun
YOU may have seen the new escooters zipping around the roads (and possibly pavements) while out and about in Gloucester and Cheltenham.
We wanted to know what it was like to ride one of these snazzy looking machines, which are promising to be the future of public transport in busy towns and cities.
There are a few key takeaways from taking a ride on the “transport of the future” - but the big one is to not take them lightly.
It’s illegal to drive them in parks, in shops or on pavements. So you have to ride them on the roads, and at speeds of up to about 20mph, this is no joke.
Knowing how roads work is a must, it sounds silly but knowing whose right of way it is, when to stop, how much space to give people is so important - because if you come off of one of these bad boys, it will hurt.
Which leads nicely into ... I felt much safer with the fabulous helmet gifted to me by Zwings chief executive Joe Lewin, but I really wish I had a proper pair of gloves, probably motorcycle ones, while riding about town.
As my hands are what I use to write and pay the bills, the thought of coming off at 16mph with nothing protecting my fingers was unpleasant to say the least.
Also, without any kind of gloves your hands get cold in this weather.
I met up at Cheltenham Town Hall with Joe who, after showing me how to start the things (I screamed a real scream when it started up), took me on a little tour around town.
Joe had much more confidence than me and I couldn’t help but feel the hatred of car users emanating as they passed, but after five to 10 minutes of getting around and remembering just basically how to drive safely, I was able to relax and enjoy the sensation of the wind through my helmet hair.
The London-based chief executive said to me that although safety was of course a key consideration of the vehicles, one of the things he loved the most was the positive impact getting out and about, and not on a bus or train or inside a car, could have on your mental health.
I could definitely see how this could be the case.
I was a little concerned of the hygiene of the scooters, but I needed not to be.
Joe said that there were fleet marshalls monitoring the use of the scooters and a van that came around every night to clean them.
Also Zwings report that the “state of the art” Shieldex self-cleansing copper handle grips which they say can render up to 99.98 per cent of viruses and bacteria harmless.
Although Joe logged me on to the e-scooter so I didn’t pay for this particular ride, I wouldn’t have minded as the price to ride is £1 to unlock and 15p per minute.
This goes down to 10p if you pause your ride.
For us this meant after about 15-20 minutes of driving around, the price was less than £4, which is less than a day rider bus ticket for Stagecoach.
In summary, would I ride one again? Yes
Was it fun and good value? Yes. What would I say to anyone that wants to rent one?
Do it! But make sure you’re fully licensed and ride them appropriately where they’re allowed to go and wear a helmet and gloves.
‘Zwings’ e-scooters could be the future of sustainable, fun and cheap travel in the county - but only if taken as seriously as they are for fun.
Speaking about what they think the e-scooter trial will bring to Gloucestershire, a spokesman for Zwings said: “Zwings, remains focused on protecting the health and safety of Gloucester and Cheltenham residents by providing a critical travel alternative for essential trips over the lockdown period.
“Our escooters provide an environmentally friendly and accessible micromobility option to cater for personal use, commuting and leisure needs of communities.
“In light of the lockdown announcement, the government has strongly discouraged the use of public transport wherever possible and have requested for us to continue our e-scooter rental service.
“Our focus in Gloucester and Cheltenham is therefore to support residents with an accessible transport solution for necessary journeys.
“We believe that educating communities to continually evaluate the environmental impact of the way they move for short urban trips is essential.
“That’s why we’re committed to creating long-term behavioural changes when it comes to choosing modes of travel.
“We are committed to making sure vulnerable people, including the elderly, the partially sighted and those with disabilities are considered and do not feel inconvenienced by our escooter rental schemes.”
Gloucestershire County Councillor Nigel Moor, cabinet member for planning and environment at Gloucestershire County Council said that Zwings ‘reduces congestion and emissions, and improving air quality at the same time’.
He said: “Zwings provides a way for our residents to travel. around urban areas while staying apart, reducing congestion and emissions, and improving air quality at the same time.
“We have built a positive relationship with Zwings as they continue to rise to the challenges of introducing a new mode of transport in our area.”
Joe said: “It is part of Zwings’ core ethos to support our communities in Gloucestershire during this lockdown in a hyper localised manner.
“We recognise the important role our escooters play in supporting residents and key workers to travel at a social distance but also to help relieve stress from a hard day at work.
“We are collaborating closely with local representatives in each respective town or city to tailor our service to best support NHS and emergency workers.”
It is part of Zwings’ core ethos to support our communities during this lockdown in a hyper localised manner.
Joe Lewin