The London Assembly Transport Committee has written to the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan asking for more accurate data on e-scooter collisions outside of the trials.
Currently, e-scooter collisions outside of the trials are recorded as involving a classification of ‘other vehicle’, which means it is hard to get meaningful data on e-scooter safety.
“This needs to be rectified if an informed decision about their safety and use is to be made,” said Caroline Pidgeon, MBE AM Chair of the Transport Committee.
The recommendation was put forward as part of Vision Zero, an approach laid out in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London’s transport system.
The Transport Committee also asks Transport for London (TfL) to provide an update on the progress of the e-scooter trial, including the numbers of rides and injuries.
It is calling on Khan to reveal whether the numbers are in line with TfL’s estimates and how the lessons learned will inform policy development.
The Committee heard evidence from Lime, one of the three shared micromobility operators involved in London’s trials.
Lime suggested this test phase has been successful in terms of total trips made and the low number of injuries. Fifteen injuries have been reported during the trial with no fatalities, according to the committee.
PACTS Executive Director David Davies told Zag Daily he “welcomes the call for more information about the London e-scooter trials. This would be particularly helpful as the DfT has not published its report on the trials yet the Transport Secretary has announced his intention to legalise them – for rental and private use. We would urge the London Assembly to also seek data on the safety of private e-scooters. We are aware of five deaths in London involving private e-scooters since 2019.”
In response to the Transport Committee’s letter for Vision Zero, Rob Whitehead, Director of Strategic Development at Centre for London, said: “The London Assembly is right to highlight the dangers to vulnerable road users in London. The capital must do more to protect pedestrians, cyclists, e-scooter riders and motorcyclists from the threat of collision with buses, lorries, cars and vans. Enforcing speed limits, better training for drivers and more protected cycle ways would all help.
“They are right too that we should see the latest data on e-scooters to help shape policy in the future and make the most out of new transport options.”
