Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about e-scooters.

Originally, the Government advised that rental e-scooter trials would take place across four areas in England. However, following a consultation lasting just two weeks in May and June last year, there are now more than 30 trials taking place across England.

Riding privately-owned e-scooters on public roads, pavements or cycle lanes is still against the law, even in local authority areas conducting rental trials. My concern is that the rushed roll-out of the schemes and a lack of clarity has caused confusion and concern.

Police numbers are still considerably lower today than they were in 2010. Police forces, which I believe are already overstretched, have struggled to respond to the increase in private e-scooters in public places. However, when asked about the capacity of the police to enforce road safety laws, the Government has responded to say that it is an “operational matter for individual Chief Officers of police in conjunction with local policing plans”.

Any legislation to legalise private e-scooter use that follows must be accompanied by full public consultation and proper parliamentary scrutiny, as this has the potential to be a major development that will affect us all for the long term.

It is increasingly clear that we must do more to improve our air quality and build back better by refocusing our economy around sustainable initiatives. E-scooters have the potential to be part of the mix, but given the concerns that have been raised about their use it is important that there is proper evaluation of the pilot schemes.

I know that many disabled people have said the pandemic has left them feeling like an afterthought and worried about the future. We must emerge from the pandemic vowing to change this. Although the Government says it has engaged with organisations representing disabled people in the design of e-scooter trials, my concern is that a potentially major long-term transport policy development may be pushed forward without proper public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP