Poll reveals drivers are opposed to sharing roads with e-scooters

Almost two thirds of motorists are opposed to sharing the roads with e-scooters according to a poll by Motorpoint.

The online survey, which featured 1,117 people, found 69% of drivers were against any moves by the UK Government to make e-scooters a legal form of transport once a trial throughout England has been completed.

The UK is one of the last countries in Europe where the use of e-scooters is illegal on public roads, except for rental e-scooters, and when they do so are limited to 15.5mph. However, the UK Government launched a trial of rental e-scooters in more than 50 towns and cities across England, including Birmingham, Bristol, London and Newcastle, to assess their viability as a legal means of transport as well as ability to reduce traffic congestion. This has now been extended until March 2022 to give the Government more time to gather sufficient data.

Mark Carpenter, chief executive officer of Motorpoint, said: “e-scooters do offer an ingenious way for people to navigate through our streets, particularly for short journeys, and their growing popularity cannot be ignored.

“However, it is clear from our survey that people have reservations with regards to e-scooters and, given the way they are they are currently being used on the pavements rather than the roads, more needs to be done to address these and other concerns before e-scooters can be classed as a legal form of transport by the Government.”