E-scooters banned in Paris | Poll suggests UK motorists also want ban

Residents in Paris have voted overwhelmingly in favour of banning rental e-scooters amid growing safety concerns, with 459 injuries and three deaths in the city last year.

Some 90% of residents who voted in the French capital were in favour of a ban and findings in IAM RoadSmart’s safety culture report, which surveys more than 2,000 UK motorists on opinions of key road safety issues over time, discovered that e-scooters could be facing the same fate in Britain, if public opinion is anything to go by.

More than two thirds (68%) of respondents to its poll said they would support a law totally banning e-scooters. 

The same proportion (68%) also stated that the growing number of e-scooters on the roads is a threat to their road safety, with three quarters (74%) of those over 70-years-old being the age group feeling most threatened by the device, compared to more than half (59%) of 17–34-year-olds.

Responses varied according to region, with residents of London and the West Midlands among those who feel most under threat by the growing number of e-scooters.

Not all of those who feel under threat by e-scooters are calling for a blanket ban on the machines, but are instead calling for smarter and stronger ways for them to be used more safely, with 86% of those surveyed stating that they are in support of tougher regulation of the devices.

This includes a law restricting e-scooters to cycle lanes only, enforcing age limits on those who are allowed to use them and introducing strict design and construction standards. 

It comes after the latest Department for Transport (DfT) statistics revealed that there were 1,434 casualties involving e-scooters in Britain in 2021, of which, 10 people were killed. 

This is compared to 484 casualties involving e-scooters in 2020, meaning casualties have almost tripled in just 12 months.

Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart, said: “The people of Paris voiced their opinions on e-scooters loud and clear at the voting booths, and our research demonstrates that British road users have similar concerns to our French counterparts. 

“We still await the Transport Bill, meaning there is still no regulation of these vehicles, which can go up to 30mph in some cases.

“Given the number of collisions we have seen on our roads and pavements involving e-scooters since they have been introduced, the concerns of the public are more than understandable.

“The Government must act faster to regulate e-scooters before more injuries are sustained and lives are tragically lost.

“In the meantime, we would encourage those who wish to use rental e-scooters to ride with caution, vigilance and due attention, keeping themselves, other motorists and pedestrians safe.”

New safety and technical standards were recommended for e-scooters last month, after the increase in deaths and serious injuries.

They included a 20km/h (12.5mph) factory-set speed limit, a ban on passengers and pavement riding, compulsory helmets and a minimum age of 16.

The recommendations were set out in a new report from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) and the UK Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS).