E-scooters can be started as a trial version on London’s streets | UK news

Electric scooters will be allowed on London’s streets next month as a long-awaited test of the devices is due to take place in the capital.

Transportation for London (TfL) has confirmed that a 12-month test version of rental e-scooters will begin on June 7th, which will allow people to ride on roads and bike paths in several districts.

Trials follow in more than 40 cities across the country as the government debates whether to legalize e-scooters on UK roads.

The attempts were criticized by somewith concerns the devices are being used illegally on sidewalks and following a spate of drink-driving arrests.

Figures, first reported by Sky News, show that more than 70 people have been injured in government e-scooter trials since they launched last year through March 25 – including 11 people who were seriously injured.

Privately owned e-scooters available online are prohibited from being used on public roads, bike paths, and sidewalks.

However, rental e-scooters can be ridden on roads or bike paths in areas that are participating in official government trials.

YouTube star Emily Hartridge was the first female e-scooter to be killed in the UK in July 2019 after crashing on a private device in Battersea, southwest London.

Earlier this month, a six-year-old boy’s sister suffered a fractured skull after being hit by an e-scooter driver in Leicester called for the devices to be banned for people under the age of 21.

TfL said “safety will be the focus of the effort” and the required standards “will go further than those set at national level”.

People who rent e-scooters need a full or provisional driver’s license for cars, motorcycles or mopeds. You have been asked to wear a helmet, but it is not compulsory.

The devices are limited to a maximum speed of 19 km / h in the capital and must have front and rear lights that are always on.

Drivers are also required to complete an e-learning safety course before hiring for the first time.

The cost of renting the e-scooters is not yet known, but TfL said the companies involved in the trials need to ensure that their prices “take into account the needs of people on lower incomes”.

It also states that key workers must be offered discounts “if necessary”.

Trips in other cities typically cost £ 1 to unlock an e-scooter, plus a fee of 14 to 20 pence per minute.

The London boroughs and areas taking part in the e-scooter test are Ealing, Canary Wharf in Tower Hamlets, the City of London, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Richmond upon Thames.

Between 60 and 150 e-scooters can be rented in each district, but this may increase during the trial, TfL said.

People who rent e-scooters can also travel through the rest of Tower Hamlets, but they can’t start or end their rides there, it added.

Lambeth, Southwark and Westminster plan to participate in the process in the future, TfL said.

E-scooter companies Dott, Lime and TIER were selected to run the London test.

Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “We want to ensure a green and sustainable recovery from coronavirus, and e-scooters are an alternative to cars that could help.

“The safety of those who use e-scooters, as well as other road users and pedestrians, is of the utmost importance, so it is important that they are tested in this rigorous manner to ensure high standards.

“We look forward to exploring the role e-scooters could play in London’s future.”