Electric scooters causing havoc and danger to residents, councillor claims
Cllr Taylor said e-scooters had no doubt been added to children’s lists for Santa Claus at Christmas and said the council needed to help raise awareness on safety and the laws around them.
Electric-powered scooters being recklessly used on Teesside streets are posing a “real danger” to residents and “causing havoc”, a councillor has complained.
Councillor David Taylor, who represents Eston ward on Redcar and Cleveland Council, said he had seen several near misses involving e-scooters which were “weaving in and out of traffic” and ridden at speed on pavements near shop entrances.
While several regulated e-scooter trials have taken place across the country, including in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, which allow people to hire the devices if they have a driving licence and with a requirement they use a helmet, they can also be bought and used on private land.
But while this is legal, to all intents and purposes it is illegal to use them on public roads unless a rider can meet all the requirements of motor vehicle use – with the Government yet to bring forward legislation to change this – while they cannot be used on pavements and in cycle lanes.
Describing at a meeting one incident he had been involved in, he said: “I was within a split second of being driven into by a boy no older than 11-years-old going at some speed.”
He said he had also seen parents riding e-scooters to school with children onboard.
Cllr Taylor said: “They are a real danger on the streets.”
He also referred to warnings issued by the Government and fire services last year over the risk of fire due to large lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes exploding if faulty or not used correctly when charging.
The Conservative councillor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “People – parents – are buying e-scooters for their kids or themselves, without even knowing the legality around them.
“They are illegal in any public setting and have to be treated in the same way as a motor vehicle.
“I’ve seen three people going up and down Eston High Street last week in the pitch black.
“It’s going to cause serious accidents.
“It’s about safety, not just for the person on the scooter, but for pedestrians and motorists out there as well.
“The amount of e-scooters you now see in the Eston area is unbelievable, since Christmas there are loads and loads.
“They are just causing havoc on the pavements and roads.”
He added: “If we can put off some parents buying e-scooters and it saves a life or injury then that’s what we want.
“You wouldn’t give your child your car key at nine-year-old and say ‘There you are get in my car’.”
Responding to Cllr Taylor’s concerns, council leader Alec Brown said it was happy to raise awareness of the issues – the council having recently put out messages on its social media channels about e-scooter use.
He said: “E-scooters are classed as a motor vehicle under the Road Traffic Act which means that the rules that apply to motor vehicles also apply to e-scooters, including the need to have a licence, insurance and tax.
“Where trials are still in place, rental of the scooter includes minimum age checks, having an appropriate licence and the creation of an account, and they are solely for use in approved areas.
“Many private users will not necessarily be aware that if they cause serious harm to another person while riding an e-scooter the incident will be investigated in the same way as a motorcycle or car accident and that penalties and offences exist, including riding without insurance, or riding on the pavement, or using a mobile while riding.”
Last September Cleveland Police issued its own warning over e-scooters following a number of accidents in the area.
Sergeant Gary Cookland said: “The increase in those using electric scooters has become a real issue in Cleveland.
“Riders, who are often inexperienced road users and do not hold a driving licence, are putting members of the public at risk.
“Just today, a ban on electric scooters for hire has come into effect in Paris in response to a rise in the number of deaths and injuries they have caused in the city.
“It’s important for parents to know that it is illegal to ride on public roads on these scooters without a licence.
“You need motor insurance to ride an electric scooter on a public road and you should always wear a helmet.
“Police can and will seize your scooter and prosecute offenders riding illegally and dangerously.
“I would urge parents and riders to think carefully before purchasing electric scooters and to think about the risk to themselves and other road users.”
The Government has received recommendations from a Parliamentary advisory council for transport safety should it decide to legalise private e-scooters, including the requirement for a minimum front wheel size of 12in (30.5cm), a maximum speed limit of 12.5mph, and mandatory helmet wearing.
Latest Department for Transport figures, for 2022, show that there were 1,402 reported collisions involving e-scooters and 12 deaths.