http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Electric scooters en Wed, 13 May 2026 05:27:06 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=7#post-378732 Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:37:26 +0000 chdot 378732@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/feb/22/using-an-e-scooter-can-add-1000-to-your-car-insurance-quote" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/feb/22/using-an-e-scooter-can-add-1000-to-your-car-insurance-quote</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=7#post-376177 Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:52:42 +0000 neddie 376177@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Now do cars </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=7#post-376175 Tue, 13 Aug 2024 18:25:43 +0000 chdot 376175@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Public outrage prompts Melbourne e-scooter ban </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w68ywqv2go" rel="nofollow">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w68ywqv2go</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=7#post-374705 Fri, 26 Apr 2024 10:55:19 +0000 ejstubbs 374705@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Based on ejstubbs <strong>analysis</strong>...</em></p> <p>You flatter me: I think "random burblings" would be more appropriate. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=7#post-374703 Fri, 26 Apr 2024 10:31:06 +0000 mcairney 374703@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Based on ejstubbs analysis maybe the best 'legal' category/definition for e-scooters would be as mobility aids along with mobility scooters and wheelchairs? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-374694 Fri, 26 Apr 2024 07:05:25 +0000 gembo 374694@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>A brand called Maeving caught my eye. They make e motorbikes. Top speed 45mph. They have one in production top speed 70mph.</p> <p>Can’t see their batteries lasting long and taking them anywhere but a road would be illegal and you woill need a helmet and at least five grand</p> <p>But they Doo look nice, if they even exist. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-374693 Thu, 25 Apr 2024 22:11:55 +0000 Dave 374693@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It weighs a little over 30kg which is quite a reduction on a 150kg vespa, although still only a subset of people would want to carry one up their front steps (it would be like carrying one of our 7yos).</p> <p>Conceivably you could pop in a bag and get on train Brompton style?</p> <p>I wouldn't get one personally. If they legalise ones that perform like ebikes and so can go where ebikes go while easily popping on the train, we'd be all over that to de-car some journeys. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-374686 Thu, 25 Apr 2024 17:42:53 +0000 ejstubbs 374686@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>looks tremendous at first glance, but then realise cant use bikelanes or footpaths.</em></p> <p>Didn't seem to stop the person riding it in that video: despite them stating at the outset that they were legally riding on the road, that looked very much like a footpath to me given the way that pedestrians were using it.</p> <p>I note there's no mention of how much it weighs, nor does it appear to be foldable. I thought one of the advantages of scooter-type vehicles is that they fold up and are light enough to carry on and off public transport, thus bridging the "last mile" between public transport stops/termini and people's ultimate destinations. That device doesn't seem to meet that need very well.</p> <p>Given that you have to tax it (albeit at ?zero cost?), MoT it, insure you/it, be licensed to use it and wear a certified helmet, and that it's (probably) fairly heavy and non-foldable, I'd have thought that having a seat wouldn't be too much to ask, especially since it would make no real difference to its classification by the DVSA. Though maybe there's a school of thought that regards a scooter as "active travel" because you're not sitting down. An argument which I would dismiss as highly questionable. You sit down on a bicycle and that's definitely active travel. Standing still on a powered scooter is nowhere near as 'active' as cycling, or even walking (which is probably one reason why the things are as popular as they are). By that argument, would strap-hanging for half an hour on the tube count as active travel? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-374684 Thu, 25 Apr 2024 16:35:26 +0000 dessert rat 374684@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>looks tremendous at first glance, but then realise cant use bikelanes or footpaths. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-374656 Wed, 24 Apr 2024 20:14:05 +0000 cb 374656@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddTPsmOFMc0">This Is The UK’s First ROAD-LEGAL Electric Scooter! (YouTube)</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-372791 Wed, 10 Jan 2024 12:17:40 +0000 chdot 372791@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yes it’s illegal </p> <p>But in the big scheme of police priorities </p> <p>And legal trials…</p> <p>I think I’ve decided that personal use is better than hire schemes (for scooters)</p> <p>“</p> <p>#LivingstonRP observed a male riding this e-scooter on a footpath in Bathgate. They have been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for a licence offence, an insurance offence and for riding a motor vehicle on a footpath. </p> <p>The e-scooter was also seized.</p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/psosroads/status/1744762050985840643" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/psosroads/status/1744762050985840643</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-371536 Tue, 07 Nov 2023 18:26:52 +0000 MediumDave 371536@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Subjectively my Dahon with its 20" wheels and 2.1" tyres handles most lumps and bumps better than my road bikes with 28"/700C wheels and 32mm/1.25" tyres. Steering on the Dahon is twitchier (frame geometry rather than tyre I suspect) so in some situations that might cause an issue for the Dahon that wouldn't occur for the road bikes.</p> <p>The e-scooters I tend to see have small diameter wheels but quite wide/fat tyres. Not measured the exact size so as long as the pothole isn't axle depth they will probably be fine. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-371510 Tue, 07 Nov 2023 13:58:54 +0000 steveo 371510@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yep, or even better protected lanes without heavy traffic chewing up the lane. </p> <p>There probably needs to be some basic research to show if the small wheels are actually as dangerous as they look. I'm commenting from a position of relative ignorance. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-371509 Tue, 07 Nov 2023 13:39:11 +0000 neddie 371509@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Perhaps they should mandate that all e-scooters look like e-Bromptons? </p> <p>I mean the underlying problem solved here is that you can fold up an e-scooter and take on the train / bus / back of <strike>SUV</strike>* small car.</p> <p>But this problem is already solved by an e-Brompton, and it has reasonably sized wheels</p> <p>*only auto manufacturers marketing bull tells you that you "need" an SUV for transporting bikes </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-371505 Tue, 07 Nov 2023 12:41:09 +0000 steveo 371505@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Lime Scooters are about 18kg according to the web, not that much heavier than a big mtb never mind a hire grade ebike.</p> <p>A 15mph limit like pedalecs would be fine. Its the 5-10" wheels that would worry me, Edinburgh potholes can swallow a mtb wheel. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-371488 Mon, 06 Nov 2023 12:45:51 +0000 Arellcat 371488@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><blockquote>E-scooters are heavy, around <strong>three times the weight of a regular e-bike</strong>, and can be difficult to control for first-time users, while their comparatively small wheels make them susceptible to the lumps, bumps and potholes that riddle Britain’s roads.</blockquote></p> <p>Really? Three times? While I've never tried picking one up, let alone ride one, I find that hard to believe.</p> <p><blockquote>Lime says that user feedback in London, where the speed is capped at 12.5mph, is that it is too slow and makes people feel more vulnerable.</blockquote></p> <p>Probably the sense that you're very much <em>on</em> a scooter with relatively little machine around you, and because cars.</p> <p>I attended yesterday's latest talk by Fabrizio Cross on the Electrom light electric vehicle. I still want one, but in the UK it would be classed as a moped, and exercising at 100-200W whilst wearing even an open face bone dome isn't my idea of fun. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-371486 Mon, 06 Nov 2023 11:26:12 +0000 chdot 371486@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Like magic mushroom spores and vials of human growth hormone, e-scooters occupy a mysterious grey area in UK law, being legal to buy but illegal to use – in public, at least. So, unless you have an exceptionally long driveway, a home filled with palatial corridors or a private airfield, the chances are that if you own an e-scooter you are a criminal. </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/06/love-hate-uk-government-e-scooters-trials-regulation" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/06/love-hate-uk-government-e-scooters-trials-regulation</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-371382 Tue, 31 Oct 2023 08:20:22 +0000 gembo 371382@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>A few more this summer in Edinburgh but not like in Paris, Dublin etc </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-371381 Mon, 30 Oct 2023 23:14:13 +0000 chdot 371381@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/30/e-scooters-stuck-in-legislation-limbo-as-mood-sours-among-britons" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/30/e-scooters-stuck-in-legislation-limbo-as-mood-sours-among-britons</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-370265 Fri, 08 Sep 2023 15:27:33 +0000 steveo 370265@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>When I was in Paris last year the amount of less conventional personal transport was interesting. Loads of electric unicycles and scooters. </p> <p>Dockless hire vehicles are always a pita people just dump them and wander off. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-370096 Sun, 03 Sep 2023 15:14:52 +0000 ejstubbs 370096@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@acsimpson: That's the article chdot posted 2 days ago.</p> <p>Although personal e-scooters are legal in France, they are more heavily regulated than e-bikes (or at least e-bikes in the UK, so long as the vehicle complies with the EAPC regulations) - <a href="https://theelectricfuture.co.uk/blogs/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-electric-scooters-in-france#:~:text=Personal%20electric%20scooters%20are%20legal%20in%20France.&amp;text=However%2C%20they%20do%20have%20some">reference</a>. One exception is that French e-scooter users can be as young as 12 years old, whereas EAPC riders in the UK must be at least 14.</p> <p>Other rules applying to the use of personal e-scooter in France include are:<br /> - Insurance is mandatory;<br /> - A speed limit of 25kmph applies. This is the limit <u>for motor assistance</u> on an EAPC - you can ride your e-bike faster than that <em>without</em> assistance, and I frequently do, especially downhill. I suspect it would also be <em>possible</em> to ride an e-scooter unassisted at higher speeds than that e.g. downhill, though I'm not sure that it would be particularly advisable;<br /> - Use of headphones and/or mobile phone while scooting is forbidden;<br /> - Solo use only, no 'backies'. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-370088 Sun, 03 Sep 2023 09:25:18 +0000 acsimpson 370088@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>However rented ones are not:<br /> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/31/rented-e-scooters-cleared-from-paris-streets-on-eve-of-ban" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/31/rented-e-scooters-cleared-from-paris-streets-on-eve-of-ban</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-370063 Fri, 01 Sep 2023 19:42:10 +0000 chdot 370063@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Apparently (in Paris) personally owned scooters are OK (legal). </p> <p>Unlike here… </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-370062 Fri, 01 Sep 2023 19:40:07 +0000 chdot 370062@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>You do have to wonder if it’s all blinkered ‘car normality’ or just a *CONSPIRACY*(?) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-370061 Fri, 01 Sep 2023 19:34:59 +0000 LaidBack 370061@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Endured the ITV Tonight 'E-bikes and Scooters: Trouble on the Road?'</p> <p>Programme satisfactorily entertained its car-centric audience I'm sure.<br /> Peter Eland was one of the few pro-cycling voices. He used to run VeloVision magazine, a favourite place for our recliners to be reviewed. Later on did Electric Bike Magazine.</p> <p>Anyway main message was these bikes and scooters kill people and set fire to buildings. Car lobby will be very happy I'm sure.<br /> No comparisons were made with road deaths involving cars over same period.<br /> Not one of the big retailers were asked why they sell e-scooters either?<br /> E-bikes were found guilty by association. Cargobikes didn't feature at all and assumption was that it's really all about joy riding around while the poor motorist is trapped in his car. Was very regressive and very clever bit of programming.<br /> Ads for EVs followed! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-370047 Thu, 31 Aug 2023 17:22:56 +0000 chdot 370047@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Electric scooter rental experiment in French capital ends after 5 years of controversy </p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/31/rented-e-scooters-cleared-from-paris-streets-on-eve-of-ban" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/31/rented-e-scooters-cleared-from-paris-streets-on-eve-of-ban</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-367399 Mon, 03 Apr 2023 13:52:19 +0000 neddie 367399@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@PS - you could pretty much apply all of your arguments above to cars, except the "smaller footprint" one. People have become completely blind to it.</p> <p>And despite all the high-profile anti-car stuff in Paris being bandied about social media as "how amazing", it remains a polluted, car-dominated, dangerous traffic sewer for the most part.</p> <p>As an example, I wanted to get a hire bike to cycle between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon and was told by a local in no uncertain terms not to: "just get the metro!" </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-367398 Mon, 03 Apr 2023 13:41:56 +0000 PS 367398@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Not convinced that's the case, neddie. Abandoned e-scooters on pavements are a real PITA (I haven't been to Paris in 10 years, so can't speak for there, but in Brussels they were scattered about on pavements, causing blockages). They are also really heavy, so tricky to move when they are in the way. And speeding near peds on footpaths, they're possibly worse than bikes as they seem to have a smaller footprint and lower centre of gravity, so pass closer to peds and are less predictable.</p> <p>I'm also pretty sure Paris doesn't work as an example of a city that is currently screaming "streets are for cars".</p> <p>However, it's a shame there weren't any public consultations on whether cars should be allowed in cities back in the early 20th century. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-367397 Mon, 03 Apr 2023 12:50:47 +0000 neddie 367397@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>What this is really about is: "Streets are for cars. Cars have been killing and injuring people for so long that we've forgotten about that. And car drivers keep running over these pesky scooters so we better get rid of the scooters and preserve the death-on-our-streets status quo..." </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19666&page=6#post-367396 Mon, 03 Apr 2023 12:11:10 +0000 stiltskin 367396@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>What the Guardian report doesn’t make clear is that the turnout was a massive 8%. Doesn’t really sound like The People Have Spoken </p>