Get on your scooter. Or not

This Thursday, February 25, Councillor Lynne Stagg, the city council cabinet member for traffic and transportation will convene a meeting to consider a report from council officers, initiated by the same Cllr Stagg, to recommend allowing electric scooters on public roads in Portsmouth.

Cllr Stagg is a member of the ruling Liberal Democrats. One representative each from the Conservatives and Labour can ask questions at this meeting, but have no voting rights. This is what passes for democracy in Portsmouth nowadays and is just a rubber stamping of something Cllr Stagg told The News she wanted six months and more ago. Does anyone seriously believe that this meeting would be taking place at all if the council officers had recommended against?

The report says that the police have been consulted, but doesn’t say if the police have agreed that they have the resources to ensure that these e-scooters are not ridden illegally eg, on pavements.

Without this assurance, the mayhem experienced across European cities will be with us here in mid-March. A similar scheme in Coventry was brought to a halt after just five days due to concerns of pedestrian safety; the operators of the Coventry scheme, Voi, are the same company engaged to operate the scheme here.

If you are concerned, then I suggest Portsmouth residents contact their local councillor, particularly if they are a Liberal Democrat.

Of course, there are also local elections on May 6. I gather that it will be possible to watch this meeting via the council’s web site, Portsmouth.gov.uk, from 4pm. I have opposed the introduction of these machines through The News’s letters page since the idea was first mooted; this probably has something to do with being run off the pavement by two of them abreast in Barcelona.

Terry Pearson Portsea