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Great Western Coffee Shop > All across the Great Western territory > Buses and other ways to travel (Data Managers: Bus_Lady, VickiS) > Electric scooters... coming soon!
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Author Topic: Electric scooters... coming soon!  (Read 2513 times)
Red Squirrel
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« on: October 21, 2018, 11:40:20 »
Just watched this YouTube video explaining the economics of the electric scooter hire business - well worth a watch in my opinion. I think it is a fair bet that you will be seeing these in a city near you fairly soon (if you haven't already); they fit into a pattern of selling 'mobility' as a product, with scooters filling in the 'last mile' much more effectively than hire-by-the-hour bicycles. I wonder if Keith Williams is factoring this into his review?
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ray951
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« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2018, 21:07:55 »
Not in the UK▸ (United Kingdom) as I believe that they can't be used legally on the road. I believe that the can't be used on the road because they don't have pedals and cannot be classed as a cycle. And to be classed as a motorised vehicle they would need insurance and a licence which are not currently available.
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Red Squirrel
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« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2018, 10:22:02 »
That's a good point - in the UK▸ (United Kingdom) you can only have e-bikes that go when you pretend to pedal. Someone needs to work out how to make a scooter that goes when you pretend to scoot...
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Red Squirrel
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« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2018, 11:11:43 »
At the Global Parliament of Mayors Summit, held in Bristol on Monday, dinner was 'sponsored' by Bird - an electric scooter hire company... (see Bristol 24/7).

Electric scooter hire firms are lobbying the DfT» (Department for Transport - about) hard to change UK▸ (United Kingdom) law to align with, well, most of the rest of the world. Watch this space...
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« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2018, 11:47:03 »
Legality is in practice a distraction. The electric skateboards, "hoverboards", Swegways, Segways, electric monowheels you see on the streets already are illegal. A lot of electric bikes are technically illegal (breach the maximum speed or power regulations or give power without pedalling), as are a surprising amount of cars (untaxed, no MoT, etc). The practical problems to the popularity of escoots will be reliability, ease of charging, cost (presumably they will start by giving them away, as in various Californian cities) and how useful they actually turn out to be in local topography and journeys.
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Red Squirrel
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« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2018, 12:31:56 »
Do have a look at the vid I linked to in the OP▸ (Original Poster / topic starter, or Off Peak, depending on context). It's not long, and it explains all these things - admittedly in a US context, but most would hold true here if we weren't out of step with normality legality-wise...
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« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2018, 13:54:28 »
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-46349747/the-electric-scooter-scheme-taking-over-paris

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Hundreds of the two-wheeled vehicles have appeared on the city's streets, but some residents have voiced concerns over the scheme.

The issue has made its way to French government, where a bill has been presented which would ban scooters from riding on pavements.

Scooter campaigners say the answer lies in creating more scooter and bike lanes.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-london-45608874/should-rules-be-changed-for-electric-scooters-in-london

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Should rules be changed for electric scooters in London?

Whether travelling on the Tube or a bus there are many ways to get around London.

Electric scooters are becoming increasingly popular with some people using them to commute to work. But they are currently not allowed on public roads and users are calling on regulations to be changed.
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Red Squirrel
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« Reply #7 on: November 27, 2018, 14:01:43 »
Maybe merge with this?

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=20544.0
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grahame
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« Reply #8 on: November 27, 2018, 14:16:29 »
Quote from: Red Squirrel on November 27, 2018, 14:01:43
Maybe merge with this?

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=20544.0

Ooops yes!
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