The Bicycle Association (BA) has called for a clear legal framework for e-scooters if their use is to be permitted in the UK – and also urged retailers to be clear to customers about the current legal situation.
In its e-scooters position paper the BA argues that any future regulations will need to cover a comprehensive range of design and construction aspects, as well as including rules about where exactly e-scooters can and cannot be ridden.
Discussions about whether and how e-scooter use might be regulated are ongoing at the Department of Transport, and the BA will contribute expertise to this process.
Meanwhile, it is important that any retailer already selling e-scooters provides clear advice to consumers about where e-scooters may and may not be used legally.
The BA and the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT) have discussed this matter together and will be working to ensure this message is reinforced across the cycle industry.
Photo: Italian sign indicating the start of a path on which e-scooters are permitted. Public domain image from Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.