We’re not far enough down the road to decide this

In a congested city like Portsmouth, who could object to a cheap, quick and clean way to get from A to B? E-scooters would seem to be an obvious way out of fume-filled gridlock. But objections are coming thick and fast from people who see them as a menace on the roads and pavements; a danger to the old, infirm and anyone who gets in their way.

Through the proliferation of privately-owned e-scooters in the past few years, the new hire scheme operating in Portsmouth has a lot of prejudice to overcome.

Many people have grown averse to them whizzing past, sometimes at high speed, and fears have been raised over the risks they pose to pedestrians and road users.

In private ownership e-scooters are not road legal, but under rental schemes like that on trial here, they can be ridden on the public highway under a provisional driving licence.

Operator Voi says its scheme has been well received in Portsmouth and points to a number of safety measures it has put in place.

For the first 30 days of the trial the e-scooters will be limited to 10mph and then 15mph afterwards, with some locations listed as no-go and go-slow areas.

The company is keen to stress this is one of the important differences between its vehicles and the privately-owned variety, which can be adapted to achieve higher speeds

With two accidents soon after the launch of the scheme on March 16, objections are varied and widespread, with some critics fearing the scheme could cause a serious injury or even death.

The trial scheme will last six months and we have no wish to prejudge the outcome.

It presents a novel transport solution, and it is to be hoped that, once their use settles down, the benefits, rather than the risks become more evident.

Let’s just hope the critics’ fears are wide of the mark.