Humming e-scooters will terrify the blind, claims campaigner
E-SCOOTERS on the streets of Birmingham are set to ‘hum’ in a bid to improve safety. But a campaigner has criticised the move, saying the modification will be “terrifying” and not protect blind people.
Provider Voi has announced 60 vehicles in Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol will emit an artificial engine sound to warn pedestrians they are being used nearby.
Voi has described the sound as a “low hum”.
The trial is being run in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), and also involves a written consultation.
But Sarah Gayton, street access campaigns coordinator for the National Federation of the Blind of the UK, has warned the sound will not be enough to keep people safe.
She pointed to the case of Philip Jones, 75, who died after trying to move a parked Voi e-scooter out of his way while in a mobility scooter in Kingsthorpe near Northampton.
She claimed: “It’s gone past any mitigation – the trial just needs to end. The riders are literally out of control in Birmingham. It’s just not safe in that city any more.”
She said problems include riders using scooters on the pavement, performing wheelies, parking them in dangerous places and the ease with which they can be tipped over.
She said the hum would actually be disturbing for a blind or visuallyimpaired person, adding: “The person would probably freeze and stand still but wouldn’t be able to get out of the way. The sound will not resolve the fundamental problems of their business model. It will be terrifying, this being emitted all over the pavement.”
Many have also criticised the number of scooters dumped in a haphazard manner across pavements.
But West Midlands Mayor Andy Street welcomed the move and said: “It is great to see Voi once again learning from people’s experiences on the road to adapt and change their scheme.
“The whole point of trialling e-scooters in the West Midlands is to see how best to integrate them into our towns and cities, and I am pleased that Voi is working to address the problems that arise.”
Jack Samler, general manager at Voi UK and Ireland, said: “Electric engines on e-scooters, like those on electric cars and buses, are extremely quiet, which can be unnerving to other road-users.
“By adding an appropriate sound, we can hopefully improve the safety of our operations for all road-users, including those vulnerable because of sight loss.
“This is the latest pilot as part of our partnership with the RNIB to address mobility issues faced by blind and partially sighted people.”
Meanwhile, an e-scooter rider was fighting for his life this week following a crash which left his female passenger seriously injured.
West Midlands Police said the 20-year-old man had undergone surgery for his injuries after the crash with a VW Golf in Prestwood Road, Wolverhampton, on Saturday.
The 19-year-old woman, who is believed to have been a passenger on the scooter, was also seriously injured. She remains in a serious condition.
Police say the woman driving the VW Golf was not hurt.