The situation with electric scooters in the UK remains as bizarre today as it has ever been. Even if you haven’t yet had the ‘pleasure’ of propelling yourself down the pavement at breakneck speed on such a device, you’ll have no doubt seen hundreds of them doing their thing.
As far as advocates are concerned, electric scooters could hold the key to bringing air pollution levels under control. Not to mention, alleviating congestion in some of the UK’s most crowded urban centres.
On the flipside of the coin, you have the critics who argue that electric scooters are a nuisance – if not a threat to public safety. But the fact that e-scooters have become so spectacularly popular has forced the government to debate them on a more formal and openminded level than ever before.
Where Things Stand with Electric Scooters Today
As it stands right now, there isn’t a single public pavement or road anywhere in the UK where you can legally ride your own electric scooter. If you are the proud owner of an electric scooter, it is illegal to pilot it anywhere in public…period.
This is because under current legislation, it is neither a motor vehicle that can legally be piloted on UK roads nor a safe form of transportation to be used on pavements. This therefore means that if you use your scooter anywhere outside your own private property, you’re breaking the law.
In doing so, you could face a fine of up to £300 on the spot and even be slapped with six penalty points on your driving licence, if you have one. There’s also the likelihood your scooter will be seized, and you’ll never see it again.
Where Electric Scooters Are Legal to Ride
All well and good, but how does this explain the thousands of scooters flying around many major towns and cities across the UK?
The answer lies in the pilot schemes being trialled in a bunch of places across the country. What’s different with the schemes is the way in which you’re only permitted to ride the scooters made available for rent by local authorities, they can only be used within a certain boundary and you need to have a full or provisional driving licence.
They can also be used exclusively by individuals aged 16 and over, who are requested (though not required) to wear a helmet.
For the time being, the government wants to see what happens in towns and cities where electric scooters are semi-legalised, but only in the form of approved and tracked rentals. If things go to plan and there’s no indication of elevated accident rates (beyond inevitable norms), it could pave the way for the legal use of privately owned scooters on public roads.
Though given the incredibly sluggish pace of the whole thing so far, it’s unlikely any radical policy changes will be rolled out by the end of 2021.
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