Is there any such thing as a road legal e scooter that can also be taken on a ScotRail train?
My wife is starting a new job which involves a train commute. 15 min walk to and from station at each end of the journey. In my mind, this would therefore be 3 min scoot. My wife is not, and will not become, a cyclist so all suggestions of Brompton or station bikes at each end have been firmly rejected. E scooter might be option but I’m not clear on legality and I think ScotRail have banned them from trains.
Does STW have knowledge to share?
Nope, the only legal ones are the hire ones, until the government changes the law they are classed as motor vehicles and need insurance. which you can't get as they are illegal.
Should have been dealt with ages ago as they are a great short distance tool
They're not road-legal unless they're one of the hire ones (Lime, Dott etc) and most train companies have banned them from stations and on board the trains.
Total pain, Government have just kicked the can down the road on this for the last 5 years. Useless.
Is it the pedalling she doesn't like?
Investigate these.... L1e category 250W Low Powered Moped.
Mrs Zip demands that the seat is really low so that she can put 2 feet down. This means the seat is too low for pedalling.
One of these bikes would be ideal to get us to the beach once we move.
Could you sell the walks as a fitness opportunity?
I used to walk the same sort of distance for years, and it was a great way to get some exercise at the same time as getting to work, rather than it just being a commute.
Walking is really good for you. It chills you out, destresses, tones your body....you can even put your headphones on.
15 min walk to and from station at each end of the journey. In my mind, this would therefore be 3 min scoot
Split the difference and suggest a 9 min run?
Just get rid of the e and get a kick scooter.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/adult-scooter-r500-blue/313020/c98m8575724
15 min walk to and from station at each end of the journey. In my mind, this would therefore be 3 min scoot
Roller blades? 🤣
could she just wear a hoody?
Roller blades
Quads are where it's at these days, grandad
She already works there a couple of days a week and has done for years, the new job is just shifting to being there full time. She’s quite happy with the walk at the moment but as she works long hours it really adds up when there every day. Destiny will end up being a short (2 min) drive from home to station then doing the other end on foot
it’s a shame the government are seeing e scooters as a problem rather than as a genuine solution to cutting down on short car journeys
it’s a shame the government are seeing e scooters as a problem
They are a problem, they are dangerous, a fire risk and the riders in london are a major pita for cyclists.
they are dangerous, a fire risk and the riders in london are a major pita for cyclists.
Because they, and the e-scooters themselves, have effectively been criminalised.
You can legitimately and legally buy e-scooters with a fairly pathetic disclaimer on the seller's website that they can only be used on private land with permission. Yeah right.
So there's an almost unlimited supply of "unlicensed" vehicles out there supplied from all manner of legit and shady sources. No checks. No real legitimate option for service or repair. Easy to hack (as in, disable the speed sensor).
Enforcement is near zero other than a few high profile "crackdowns".
And yet other countries don't really have this problem. They got ahead of the game, legalised them and created a proper regulatory framework around them. So dodgy sellers can be prosecuted, the owners are not riding them like they stole them because they are actually legal and everyone (mostly) behaves.
I was in Málaga a few weeks ago, loads of people on them. Mostly wearing helmets and hi-vis. All ridden very sensibly, almost all stopped at lights and pedestrian crossings. Quite happily sharing cycle lanes with cyclists. None of them on the pavement.
It's amazing, if you actually create decent infrastructure and have some sensible rules and regulations, people will (mostly) behave like adults. If you keep just banning things and having "crackdowns", people get pissed off and behave like dickheads.
They're absolutely ideal for first / last mile journeys, short urban hops, the school run etc. They're fun. I've got one, it's an absolute hoot to ride. But I can't ride it legally.
If you keep just banning things and having "crackdowns", people get pissed off and behave like dickheads.
Sadly I’ve found that people usually behave like dickheads because, at heart, they are a dickhead.
In london they’re not riding like a tool because they’ve been criminalised by the system but because they are selfish tools. They want a deristricted scooter or e-bike because they don’t care about other road or pavement users nd what they want is more important not because there’s insufficient infrastructure.
And this is quite interesting on the injuries to the riders of e-scooters
What you appear to be looking for is a foldable e-bike.
Lotta money to save a 15min walk though 🤣
And yet other countries don't really have this problem.
I have used these legal scooters in aus and NZ and the issues are exactly the same as in the UK.
They are a problem, they are dangerous, a fire risk and the riders in london are a major pita for cyclists.
You could say exactly the same about ebikes.
There are dicks riding ebikes.
There are cheap DIY ebikes that are a fire risk.
There are plenty of non-dicks riding legal ebikes.
Legal escooters are well overdue. I'd rather be sharing the roads with 10% more scooters and 10% less cars at the end of the day
To the OP, how about a manual scooter. Still fairly quick on the flat, I imagine the appeal would wear off if both sides are hilly though...
New legislation apparently coming this year but I've only seen vague news snippets. Anyone know any details?
They sell e scooters in high street shops like Curry’s and Halfords.
So why would you regard them as illegal if you can buy a scooter so easily?
People can be dick when walking and running so why would they be different on wheels?
I was chatting to a narrow boat resident on the canal and he said he had witnessed his first bout of jogger rage.
You could say exactly the same about ebikes.
There are dicks riding ebikes.
There are cheap DIY ebikes that are a fire risk.
There are plenty of non-dicks riding legal ebikes.
Legal escooters are well overdue. I'd rather be sharing the roads with 10% more scooters and 10% less cars at the end of the day
You could say exactly the same about elephants
There are dicks riding elephants
There are elephants that are a risk.
There are plenty of non-dicks riding legal elephants
Elephants are well overdue. I'd rather be sharing the roads with 10% more elephants and 10% less cars at the end of the day
Elephants are well overdue. I'd rather be sharing the roads with 10% more elephants and 10% less cars at the end of the day
I take it you are not aware of stampedes then.
New legislation apparently coming this year but I've only seen vague news snippets. Anyone know any details?
It's part of a new category called LZEV.
Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle.
It's intended to cover e-scooters, delivery robots, hoverboards etc. Long overdue although the Tories were largely to blame for that, they were so busy changing PM every few months that very little parliamentary business ever got done.
So why would you regard them as illegal if you can buy a scooter so easily?
Kinda like knives (also freely available in shops) - it's how you use them.
Last July we were queueing [engine off] to get out of our campsite at Le Mans. Guy rides past on his e-scooter, slips and the scooter kicks up and slams into the nearside front wing of my mates Maserati causing scratching and a big dent. 😬
Luckily the guy was German and actually DID have insurance and the repair costs were all covered - but how many people would actually get insurance riding around town? Very very few I bet and this is an issue.
They sell e scooters in high street shops like Curry’s and Halfords.
So why would you regard them as illegal if you can buy a scooter so easily?
You can buy one but only for use on private land. But stupid to sell them really as what % of buying them for use on private land, 1 or 2% ?
And it is not about regarding them as illegal, they are illegal. That could be changed of course and I think it should be changed then I could get one of these --> https://anticbikes.com/ (although the 35mph top speed would have to be restricted)
Mostly seem to be cutting walking rather than cutting car journeys from what I've seen. So not really helping in terms of environmental benefit..
Not for me, I would quite happily use mine to do the last few miles to work (limited parking in my official site), instead ai have to try and get parking onsite. Otherwise it would be a 3 mile walk and I'm not doing that on top of driving. If it means people can park on the outskirts of towns and cities and use scooters to get into the middle it will reduce congestion and pollution.
But oh no the last bunch of idiots had to play change the pm instead of legislating when they planned to
Getting back to the original question. I'm not sure if it's been covered already, but there is still a ban on all e-scooters in stations and on trains in Scotland.
It's part of a new category called LZEV.
Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle.
It’s been a long time coming. Although, as we know from experience of EPAC use the big sticking point is that once LZEV are legal derestricted vehicles will be everywhere. That’s the toughest part of the legislation and enforcement to get right.
None of this helps the OP though, as leaving a private one at a train station, or taking it on a train, is always going to be resisted due to the fire risk and lack of confidence in them being kept up to standard safety wise.
They sell e scooters in high street shops like Curry’s and Halfords.
So why would you regard them as illegal if you can buy a scooter so easily?
Because they're not legal to ride on roads (or pavements) without lights or insurance and all the rest. You can buy ride-on lawnmowers too but you can't ride them down the high street.
My wife has used the legal hire scooters to get into work occasionally. But generally she does the 45minute walk. I'm about to start a new job. 18miles so too far to ride regularly. Train (metro) might be an option but it would involve 45 minutes of walking so likely going to take too long except in emergencies. I'd consider a scooter. Might get a second hand Brompton if I think I can make it work. I've always fancied one for the collection and I'd have a space if I sold my current commuter bike.
I hope they legalise them soon, I think they would be ideal for mixed mode transport. I think the uptake would be higher than bikes as they are smaller and people wouldn't think they'd need to get changed/have a shower at work. Even making it so you need a provisional licence (like the Newcastle hire ones) would give people more options.
As a theoretical question, is there any reason a powered scooter cannot be made which complies with the requirements for being a motorbike? Is there a minimum wheel size, a requirement for a saddle etc? Obviously there would need to be brakes, lights etc. And a friendly insurance company.
The problem with electric scooters is they move fast and can be quite dangerous on pavements with pedestrians in the same way a bike is, they're also dangerous on the roads, mainly to the rider, because they have small wheels and they're not very visible even compared to a bike.