The Scottish government has been urged to introduce shared e-scooter trials in its towns and cities to help the country meet its climate targets.
A new policy briefing from national charity for shared transport CoMoUK says Scots have “missed out” on the benefits of e-scooters as a convenient, cheap and green way to travel.
Aimed at the Scottish government, public authorities, and the UK Department for Transport, CoMoUK’s guidance comes after Scotland’s Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop earlier this year said e-scooters would “inevitably” be legalised in the country.
“Since the initial launch of e-scooter trials in England in summer 2020 there hasn’t been an expansion into other areas,” CoMoUK Chief Executive Richard Dilks told Zag Daily. “We believe areas that have local authorities and operators who are keen to participate in new trials should have them, whether they happen to be in England or Scotland.
“The Transport Secretary’s comments earlier this year were welcome, and we hope our policy briefing will inform her thinking and help build momentum around e-scooter trials.”
According to Richard, UK officials need to work closely with their counterparts north of the border to get e-scooter trials off the ground in Scotland.
“The legal use of e-scooters and decisions around their introduction is broadly a reserved matter for the UK Government. However, in addition to any legislation brought forward by the UK Government, further amendments to devolved legislation would also be required,” a Transport Scotland spokesperson told Zag Daily.
“Ministers in the previous UK Government publicly stated their intention to bring forward a new regulatory framework to enable the use of micro-mobility vehicles including e-scooters. Both primary and secondary legislation would be required, therefore the timescales for when such a regulatory framework would be in effect remain unclear.
“Transport Scotland will continue to engage with the current UK Government and monitor developments in this area.”
CoMoUK’s policy briefing
CoMoUK’s briefing says that Scotland’s towns and cities are well placed to introduce shared e-scooter schemes, flagging Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee for their high populations which would make the schemes viable.
It also identifies smaller towns and cities such as Inverness and Perth Stirling and tourist destinations like Fort William.
According to the charity, e-scooter pilot schemes would ensure strict regulations for all vehicles on the road, thereby improving road safety. Despite the illegal status of e-scooters in Scotland, private unregulated vehicles are still in circulation causing a negative perception of e-scooters.
Last month, CoMoUK called on the UK government to legalise e-scooters to solve the issue of “entirely unregulated e-scooters”.
Research from the charity found that one serious safety incident occurs in every 500,000 e-scooter trips, and trials could help Scotland achieve its 20% motor vehicle reduction target.
Richard added: “We urge Transport Scotland to work with their Westminster counterparts and press ahead with pilot schemes as soon as possible.”
