Ban e-scooters from sale at Christmas, says policing tsar
E-SCOOTER sales should be banned ahead of Christmas, a policing tsar has said.
Tom Mcneil, West Midlands assistant police and crime commissioner, called for the ban until the Government decides on the regulations for their wider use, The Guardian reported.
He has written to Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, highlighting the “menace and nuisance” of privately owned e-scooters and the need for effective regulation.
Several models of popular e-scooters are being marketed in the run-up to Christmas by Amazon and other wellknown retailers.
It is illegal to ride privately owned e-scooters on public roads in the UK except for the 30 places they are being trialled across England.
Mr Mcneil told The Guardian: “It’s irresponsible that retailers are selling these e-scooters, which they know cannot be used on public roads. They must know the vast majority of customers don’t have huge amounts of private land that they’re riding e-scooters on.
“Many people are confused about the rules. I’ve been out with police officers and seen people stopped on privately owned e-scooters and they appeared to have no idea they weren’t allowed to be riding them.”
A National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) spokesman told The Guardian that police encourage retailers to provide “clear and relevant information at the point of sale”, adding: “We are concerned that the more illegal e-scooters are used on our roads, the higher likelihood there is of them being involved in collisions.”
There are now about 30 areas in England with e-scooter trials and it was announced earlier this year that the trials can be extended until May 2024.
The Department for Transport’s proposed transport Bill aims to create a new regulatory framework that can be used to legalise their wider use despite concerns about the risks to users and other pedestrians.
Last Friday, The Daily Telegraph reported that Giovanna Drago, 22, an illegal e-scooter rider injured when she hit a pothole, is trying to claim damages from a council in the first case of its kind. The NPCC has been approached for comment.