E-scooters could be made legal in Wales amid new motion to crackdown on ‘dangerous’ riders
E-scooters are currently only allowed on private land in Wales unlike in England where they are being trialled
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E-scooter usage could be cracked down on by the Government after reports revealed they are being illegally used for “drug runs” in a major region in Wales.
It comes after a Labour MP put forward the E-scooters (Review and Awareness) Bill in order to make roads safer for pedestrians, particularly the vulnerable ones.
The Bill was introduced on Wednesday by MP for Newport East Jessica Morden who pressed the Government to improve public awareness around the dangers of e-scooters.
She highlighted both the dangerous and antisocial use of e-scooters which has become “a source of great anxiety” for many of her constituents in South Wales.
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There have been growing concerns about the safety of e-scooters PAShe told MPs: “The landscape on our roads has changed dramatically over recent years. The use of e-scooters has exploded, and it was estimated last year that e-scooter ownership is now close to one million in England alone.
“But legislation has just not kept up with this trend – our legislation is years behind other countries. The Bill is about asking the Government to address this quickly – and I know there have been positive moves about this – and also, as we approach Christmas, when many people may be tempted to buy them as presents, to remind potential buyers of the law.
“It is fair to say from the outset that there clearly is a place for e-scooters in the transport mix – they can play a really positive role in increasing transport choice while reducing pollution and congestion, particularly important too for young people with lower spending power and car ownership.”
Morden added that e-scooters “are often used for drug runs” in Newport, with riders found to be wearing masks but no helmets, according to constituents.
She added: “I’m introducing this Bill today to highlight an issue of much concern to many constituents in Newport East, who frequently raise with me the antisocial use and sometimes dangerous use of e-scooters, and, in fact, e-bikes as well.”
Morden explained that another constituent, who has a disabled child warned that they had “lost count” of the number of times an e-scooter has almost collided with her wheelchair.
“Whilst the sale of e-scooters is legal, using a privately-owned e-scooter on public land, including on roads, pavements and cycle routes, is illegal and can lead to prosecution,” she warned.
The introduction of more legal powers would help “place a duty on the Secretary of State to promote public awareness of legislation relating to the use of e-scooters”, Morden said.
She urged for “back-up” from the Department of Transport and the Home Office in helping raise public awareness of the dangers e-scooters pose, particularly in the run-up to Christmas.
According to South Wales Police, e-scooters are only allowed on private land and riders must have a category Q entitlement, unlike in England where they are currently being trialled out.
Morden explained that introducing additional legal powers could provide a “clear, settled and long-term" legislative solution to the challenges e-scooters present, “so that we can make our roads safer for riders, pedestrians and other road users”.
According to the Department for Transport figures, last year there were more than 1,300 collisions involving e-scooters, and six deaths.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
E-scooter trials have been extended until 2026 in England
GETTY“These are clearly not toys, and, when collisions occur, victims can face serious injuries, and it’s the Motor Insurers’ Bureau who pick up the bill for any compensation, thereby pushing up motor insurance premiums for all,” Morden noted.
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