Scourge of the e-scooters sees 2,260 ‘incidents’ on our roads and pavements
have become an all-too familiar sight speeding along roads and pavements, with pedestrians forced to take evasive action to dodge them.
Now figures show the number of incidents linked to e-scooters has increased threefold in the past two years.
Police Scotland disclosed that, while 650 incidents which included a reference to ‘electronic or motorised scooters’ were logged in its systems in 2021, the number has rocketed to 2,259 this year.
Moves are also under way that could lead to the legalisation of the scooters, which are currently illegal to ride on public roads or pavements.
E-scooter trials were launched in 2020 and are live in 23 areas in England, with both the UK and Scots governments involved in administering the relevant laws. The trials will run until May.
The miniature scooters, formally known as personal light electric vehicles, or PLEVs, made headlines last week when one rider was filmed travelling through the Clyde Tunnel in Glasgow as cars queued behind.
Linda Davis, 71, was the first pedestrian killed by an e-scooter in Britain. The grandmother was hit in Rainworth, NottingTHEY hamshire, in June last year. In February, a 14-year-old boy admitted causing her death after he crashed into her. It emerged last month that the miniature vehicles could be permitted on cycle paths in Scotland’s capital city – despite concern over their safety and the risk to pedestrians. City of Edinburgh Council is investigating the move, in the event that the legal ban on the use of scooters is lifted. Representatives from the local authority went on a fact-finding trip last month to trial city Nottingham.
The police figures, obtained via freedom of information, do not refer directly to crimes or allegations of crimes but indicate incidents recorded by officers where a reference was made to an e-scooter.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘E-scooters can only be legally used on private land with permission from the landowner.
‘Their illegal use can impact local communities and anyone with concerns should contact us so an appropriate policing response can be provided.’
Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: ‘It is puzzling to see so many e-scooters being used on Scotland’s streets and pavements when the law clearly states it is illegal to do so.
‘Despite existing legislation prohibiting public use, they’re being sold openly on the high street and online with the inevitable consequence being more accidents, potentially fatal.
‘If new legislation is required, it is important that the SNP government do not then use it to pick another damaging and unnecessary constitutional fight. Road traffic law must be uniform across the UK.’
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: ‘The legal use of electric scooters and decisions around their introduction is broadly a reserved matter and the UK Government has stated its intention to bring forward a new regulatory framework for such vehicles. Enabling the use of electric scooters would also require amendments to devolved legislation.’
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: ‘It remains illegal to ride e-scooters on roads, cycle lanes or pavements outside trial areas. Enforcement is a matter for the police.
‘We continue to engage with the Scottish Government on new legislation, which will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.’
‘They’re sold openly on the high street’