Labour confirms plans to consult on e-scooter trials following reports of riders 'terrorising pedestrians'

"As travel patterns have continued to change, the Government has decided to undertake a second evaluation," Hendy stated.

The new assessment, due to begin this spring, aims to "collect up-to-date and robust evidence on safety, mode shift and usage to inform future legislation."

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The scale of illegal e-scooter use in Britain was highlighted by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, who questioned how many evaluations were actually needed.

"There are 1.2 million e-scooters currently illegally used in general circulation, and 47 people have been killed since 2019. The status quo cannot continue," she told the Lords.

The Conservative peer expressed particular concern about riders "mounting pavements at speed, terrorising pedestrians".

She urged the Government to ensure that if the current ban on illegally operated scooters is not enforced, they should "introduce a regulatory framework with proper insurance" to avoid draining resources from the Motor Insurance Bureau.

Safety concerns around e-scooters have extended beyond reckless riding, with battery fires emerging as a significant hazard, MPs warned.

Labour peer Lord Berkeley highlighted this issue, asking whether it was "more important to have some proper standards of the quality and the way that batteries are fixed to cycles and scooters".

Hendy acknowledged these dangers, referencing the Department for Business and Trade's "Buy Safe Be Safe" campaign launched last October, which aims to raise awareness about unsafe e-bikes, e-scooters and batteries.

The minister cited a recent incident at Rayners Lane Station, noting that "anybody who was standing remotely near that incident would have been very severely injured if not killed by the spontaneous explosion and subsequent fire."

But Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Pidgeon questioned the nature of the ongoing trials, which began rolling out across the UK on July 4, 2020.

She asked: "What is the minister's definition of a trial? Or is this, in reality, the legalisation of e-scooters by the back door?"

But Hendy firmly rejected this characterisation and instead told the House that "it certainly isn't the legalisation by the back door."

However, Conservative Lord Moylan criticised the extended timeline, suggesting the Government was "letting it drift until May 2026" with legislation potentially not arriving until 2027, possibly after another general election.

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The impact on vulnerable pedestrians was emphasised by several peers, with particular concern for disabled people. Baroness Brinton highlighted specific accessibility issues, noting that at Old Kingsway, "it is now almost impossible to get access to the bus stop, not just if you're in a wheelchair or with a guide dog, but a passenger as well".

She described seeing "sometimes as many as a hundred" poorly parked vehicles blocking access. Hendy suggested local authorities should better control hire schemes to ensure proper parking and collection.