From that article: "Electric scooters divide opinion, but more may be coming to pavements and streets near you" Er, I hope not pavements - except for parking, in well-chosen non-obstructive locations. Most of the ones you see being used, illegally, at the moment are being used on the pavement. We had an uncomfortably close encounter with one being ridden through a bus stop on Colinton Road the other day (and people already think that cycle lanes and bus stops are potential conflict points). Maybe the use of the legal hire ones will be policed more rigorously rather than the current "not allowed to use them so not worth policing them" attitude which currently seems to prevail.
I'm sorry to say this, because I know that some people regard e-scooters as one part of the solution to excessive car use, but from my encounters with them to date, being used both legally and illegally in the UK and abroad, e-scooters seem to be another form of powered transport that encourages irresponsible use, in the same way that motor cars and motor cycles did back in the early 20th century. As was gradually realised back then, the responsible use of such devices needs to be effectively policed if they are not to become yet another tyrannical threat to people who choose to travel in genuinely active ways, rather than just standing up and twisting a throttle.
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