UK government to bring in e-scooter law

The government has said new rules to expand the legal use of e-scooters are a priority for the upcoming year.

The government outlined plans in the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday, alongside plans to create a new body to oversee UK railways.

E-scooters have been growing in popularity in recent years but are currently only legal on private land or from government hire schemes.

“While riding a privately owned e-scooter on public land is currently illegal, we are considering how best to design future regulations and our Transport Bill will help us to take the steps we need to make e-scooters safer and support innovation,” a government spokeswoman said.

Official rental trial schemes have been set up across England but the e-scooters are limited to 15.5mph and have automatic lights.

“Safety will always be our top priority and our trials are helping us to better understand the benefits of properly regulated, safety-tested e-scooters and their impact on public space,” a spokeswoman said.

However, private e-scooters are widely sold, prompting concerns about illegal and unsafe use.

On 27 April, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told MPs he would “crack down” on illegal e-scooter sales in England.

But he also hinted that models that did meet government standards could soon be legalised for use on public roads in England.

In December, Transport for London introduced a ban on e-scooters and e-unicycles on its network, after a number of fires caused by the devices.

Should the governement introdice new law to regulate e-scoote use, the country could move towards more sustainable travel as the scoooters run on electricity.

Some charities however have added that safety measures need to be considered, such as catering to the needs of blind people who could easily be knocked over.