Ban e-scooters from Bristol.
Ban e-scooters from Bristol.
The Issue
At the beginning of September someone died in central Bristol while riding an e-scooter along a street neighbouring where I live.😭
This is crazy. It is time to call a stop.😢
E-scooters are small, silent and relatively fast. After dark they are extremely difficult to see. They are a danger to pedestrians - especially the elderly - and to other road users. They are dangerous to both riders and traffic, and are heartedly loathed by locals.
Illegal usage seems to be widespread.
For reasons given below, the e-scooter 'trial', such as it is, demonstrates a spectacular failure. But the solution is simple.
Let's end this blight on our streets now!✊
Ban rental e-scooters from our city, and enforce the existing laws against private e-scooters.
*****
There are two types of e-scooters, firstly those that are private, and secondly those that are part of a public trial scheme.
Those that are private cannot be used legally on public roads.
If you see an e-scooter being ridden on public roads in Bristol, a scooter which is not one of the blue-green Bristol trial e-scooters, then it is unlicensed, uninsured and is being ridden illegally.
E-scooters that are part of a public trial scheme can be hired.
This is the only way an e-scooter can be ridden legally on public roads. In Bristol hire e-scooters are currently blue-green (see the picture above).
They are classed legally as motor-vehicles.
In this respect they are quite different from e-bikes, that are legally classed as bikes. Legal e-bikes are pedal-operated power-assisted bikes.
E-scooters are independently driven motor-vehicles with small wheels and a relatively unstable high centre of gravity, narrow boards on which the rider stands and steers at speed.
Unlike an e-bike, to ride an e-scooter legally hence requires at least a provisional driving licence and also insurance.
"Data reveals that electric scooters have a higher incident rate of falls and collisions compared to bikes. A study showed that scooters have a 28% higher risk of accidents in urban environments."
(isin-wheel, 24.1.24; online)
The necessary insurance for legal trial e-scooters is covered by the hire company.
If you are injured or your car is damaged by a trial e-scooter, your case will be with the insurance of the rental company. There is evidence that this can prove complex and difficult.
If the hire scooter was being ridden illegally, for example by someone without a valid driving licence, then it can be assumed insurance cover is lacking.
Imagine being hit, perhaps severely injured, by an e-scooter in Bristol. Assuming rider responsibility, the chances are the rider has no insurance cover. If they are young, they are unlikely to be able to pay any compensation.
You are on your own.
Private e-scooters cannot be insured.
This is a major reason why they are illegal on public roads. If you are injured or your car is damaged by one, even if the rider does have a valid driving licence the rider will not have any insurance cover at all.
Legal e-scooters can be ridden on roads and cycle lanes, but as they are motor vehicles not, of course, on pavements.
Given the relatively small number of e-scooters compared to bikes and cars, nationally the accident statistics are alarming.
In one year alone,
"During 12 months to June 2022, e-scooters were involved in 1,352 crashes, resulting in 1,434 casualties, of which 1,102 were e-scooter users.
Eleven e-scooter users were killed, and estimates indicate that 253 users received severe injuries and 675 slight injuries. In addition, 243 pedestrians were either killed, seriously hurt and injured....
Firefighters in London have tackled 50 fires involving e-scooters, including one on a train."
There is no hard evidence e-scooter use has had the slightest impact on the pollution levels or traffic problems of Bristol.
People who ride them are frequently folk who would otherwise walk or, for longer distances, cycle or take the bus.
The alleged significant environmental benefits of e-scooter use are controversial and unproven.
There is little 'green' about their production, distribution and regular maintenance. The greenest thing about Bristol's e-scooters is likely to be their colour!
It is not unusual to see an e-scooter with more than one person on board, and anecdotal (though unsurprising) reports of drunken or drugged riding are common.
It seems likely that very many rental e-scooter riders do not have valid driving licences, and adherence to the Highway Code is rare.
Policing their use (inasmuch as it happens) is a drain on our law enforcement at a time when Bristol is seeing increasing levels of crime.
Recently someone was seen in the Centre in broad daylight, with a face mask, riding his e-scooter on the pavement at speed to attack another young man.
E-scooters facilitate antisocial activity and significant crime.
"Schoolgirl, 14, suffers life-changing injuries in acid attack as police seek e-scooter suspect."
(Independent, online 1.10.24; case in London).
E-scooter injuries are an additional drain on our NHS resources.
A BBC news report 22.7.24 said:
"Electric scooters have been linked to about 100 serious road traffic incidents in Bristol in a year, police confirmed. Bristol City Council announced the figures to councillors at a meeting, saying e-scooters are behind a rise in crashes."
E-scooters exist only because they are technologically possible and they are seen by those who market and promote them as a relatively easy way of making money.
That is how capitalism works. It constantly generates new demands that we didn't know we had, in order to make money through us buying things we previously did not know we needed and formerly never wanted.
We now want e-scooters. We cannot legally ride our own. So we must hire a trial scooter.
And the (French/Dutch) hire company operating in Bristol has been granted a complete monopoly.
So inevitably what happens?
"Fury as Bristol e-scooter firm hikes prices by 37 per cent overnight."
(Bristol Live, 3.10.24)
These people have not the slightest care for our welfare or our city. To them, we are pounds (or euros) in the bank. They do not know Bristol from Brisbane.
E-scooters are children's toys with the addition of powerful electric motors.
It is worth remembering that 'push-scooters' themselves originated as children's toys. They were ridden by the likes of Janet and John, the Famous Five, or the Bash Street Kids!
They were never designed to be ridden at speed, as powered vehicles.
E-scooters place dangerous toys into the hands of those often quite incapable of handling them.
They are on our pavements (illegally), cycle lanes and roads. The scooters silently criss-cross the Centre at speed, often on the pedestrian walkways.
And e-scooters are even on the motorways:
"M5 drunk e-scooter caught riding in dark clothes along motorway."
(Bristol Live, 19.1.24)
It is difficult to claim that the quality of life in Bristol for local people has been improved by the introduction of e-scooters.
Ten years ago we were not significantly disadvantaged because we did not have e-scooters. We do not find an increase in wellbeing for locals or tourism bringing prosperity to the city.
Walking our pavements has become hazardous and scary for pedestrians, especially parents with prams, children and the elderly.
There was no local consultation or referendum before these motor vehicles were allowed on our roads.
We just woke up one morning - and there they were!
Now we trip over them whenever we walk along our streets or cross our parks.
As part of a 'trial', no criteria have been set for judging success or failure of the trial. No end point has been given at which the 'trial' will be assessed for its success or otherwise.
No widespread local consultation has been proposed. We have been fooled. There is no proper 'trial' taking place here at all.
It is just hoped that we shall accept these things, and in time get used to them.
"A ban on self-service rental e-scooters has come into force in Paris after the people of the French capital city voted overwhelmingly against them. The move comes after a rise in the number of accidents and complaints from its citizens."
(Sky News, 1.9.23)
We in Bristol are a fallback for the same French e-scooter company that has been banned in its own capital city because of accidents and complaints.
We are being taken for a ride!
Why should we have to put up with all of this?
In Paris they had sufficient respect for their citizens to hold a referendum (April 2023).
We encourage those who favour e-scooters to campaign for an independently-run referendum here in Bristol too.
If they are confident of the support for e-scooters then they would have nothing to loose.
At least a referendum would show respect for local feeling and local democracy.
And they could join us too in our campaign for proper policing in Bristol of illegal rental and private e-scooter usage.
Surely those in favour of e-scooters here cannot really be in favour of illegal and dangerous activity on our streets?
We, the long-term tax-paying residents of Bristol, see these often dangerous vehicles inflicted on us with no proper consultation and no real democratic accountability.
We have been and continue to be - to use the wonderful modern word - 'disrespected'!
So please, dear Bristol friends, if you agree then join with us now in showing that finally ...
we have had enough.
*****
Who knows? You may save a life.
And it may be yours! 🤔
2,988
The Issue
At the beginning of September someone died in central Bristol while riding an e-scooter along a street neighbouring where I live.😭
This is crazy. It is time to call a stop.😢
E-scooters are small, silent and relatively fast. After dark they are extremely difficult to see. They are a danger to pedestrians - especially the elderly - and to other road users. They are dangerous to both riders and traffic, and are heartedly loathed by locals.
Illegal usage seems to be widespread.
For reasons given below, the e-scooter 'trial', such as it is, demonstrates a spectacular failure. But the solution is simple.
Let's end this blight on our streets now!✊
Ban rental e-scooters from our city, and enforce the existing laws against private e-scooters.
*****
There are two types of e-scooters, firstly those that are private, and secondly those that are part of a public trial scheme.
Those that are private cannot be used legally on public roads.
If you see an e-scooter being ridden on public roads in Bristol, a scooter which is not one of the blue-green Bristol trial e-scooters, then it is unlicensed, uninsured and is being ridden illegally.
E-scooters that are part of a public trial scheme can be hired.
This is the only way an e-scooter can be ridden legally on public roads. In Bristol hire e-scooters are currently blue-green (see the picture above).
They are classed legally as motor-vehicles.
In this respect they are quite different from e-bikes, that are legally classed as bikes. Legal e-bikes are pedal-operated power-assisted bikes.
E-scooters are independently driven motor-vehicles with small wheels and a relatively unstable high centre of gravity, narrow boards on which the rider stands and steers at speed.
Unlike an e-bike, to ride an e-scooter legally hence requires at least a provisional driving licence and also insurance.
"Data reveals that electric scooters have a higher incident rate of falls and collisions compared to bikes. A study showed that scooters have a 28% higher risk of accidents in urban environments."
(isin-wheel, 24.1.24; online)
The necessary insurance for legal trial e-scooters is covered by the hire company.
If you are injured or your car is damaged by a trial e-scooter, your case will be with the insurance of the rental company. There is evidence that this can prove complex and difficult.
If the hire scooter was being ridden illegally, for example by someone without a valid driving licence, then it can be assumed insurance cover is lacking.
Imagine being hit, perhaps severely injured, by an e-scooter in Bristol. Assuming rider responsibility, the chances are the rider has no insurance cover. If they are young, they are unlikely to be able to pay any compensation.
You are on your own.
Private e-scooters cannot be insured.
This is a major reason why they are illegal on public roads. If you are injured or your car is damaged by one, even if the rider does have a valid driving licence the rider will not have any insurance cover at all.
Legal e-scooters can be ridden on roads and cycle lanes, but as they are motor vehicles not, of course, on pavements.
Given the relatively small number of e-scooters compared to bikes and cars, nationally the accident statistics are alarming.
In one year alone,
"During 12 months to June 2022, e-scooters were involved in 1,352 crashes, resulting in 1,434 casualties, of which 1,102 were e-scooter users.
Eleven e-scooter users were killed, and estimates indicate that 253 users received severe injuries and 675 slight injuries. In addition, 243 pedestrians were either killed, seriously hurt and injured....
Firefighters in London have tackled 50 fires involving e-scooters, including one on a train."
There is no hard evidence e-scooter use has had the slightest impact on the pollution levels or traffic problems of Bristol.
People who ride them are frequently folk who would otherwise walk or, for longer distances, cycle or take the bus.
The alleged significant environmental benefits of e-scooter use are controversial and unproven.
There is little 'green' about their production, distribution and regular maintenance. The greenest thing about Bristol's e-scooters is likely to be their colour!
It is not unusual to see an e-scooter with more than one person on board, and anecdotal (though unsurprising) reports of drunken or drugged riding are common.
It seems likely that very many rental e-scooter riders do not have valid driving licences, and adherence to the Highway Code is rare.
Policing their use (inasmuch as it happens) is a drain on our law enforcement at a time when Bristol is seeing increasing levels of crime.
Recently someone was seen in the Centre in broad daylight, with a face mask, riding his e-scooter on the pavement at speed to attack another young man.
E-scooters facilitate antisocial activity and significant crime.
"Schoolgirl, 14, suffers life-changing injuries in acid attack as police seek e-scooter suspect."
(Independent, online 1.10.24; case in London).
E-scooter injuries are an additional drain on our NHS resources.
A BBC news report 22.7.24 said:
"Electric scooters have been linked to about 100 serious road traffic incidents in Bristol in a year, police confirmed. Bristol City Council announced the figures to councillors at a meeting, saying e-scooters are behind a rise in crashes."
E-scooters exist only because they are technologically possible and they are seen by those who market and promote them as a relatively easy way of making money.
That is how capitalism works. It constantly generates new demands that we didn't know we had, in order to make money through us buying things we previously did not know we needed and formerly never wanted.
We now want e-scooters. We cannot legally ride our own. So we must hire a trial scooter.
And the (French/Dutch) hire company operating in Bristol has been granted a complete monopoly.
So inevitably what happens?
"Fury as Bristol e-scooter firm hikes prices by 37 per cent overnight."
(Bristol Live, 3.10.24)
These people have not the slightest care for our welfare or our city. To them, we are pounds (or euros) in the bank. They do not know Bristol from Brisbane.
E-scooters are children's toys with the addition of powerful electric motors.
It is worth remembering that 'push-scooters' themselves originated as children's toys. They were ridden by the likes of Janet and John, the Famous Five, or the Bash Street Kids!
They were never designed to be ridden at speed, as powered vehicles.
E-scooters place dangerous toys into the hands of those often quite incapable of handling them.
They are on our pavements (illegally), cycle lanes and roads. The scooters silently criss-cross the Centre at speed, often on the pedestrian walkways.
And e-scooters are even on the motorways:
"M5 drunk e-scooter caught riding in dark clothes along motorway."
(Bristol Live, 19.1.24)
It is difficult to claim that the quality of life in Bristol for local people has been improved by the introduction of e-scooters.
Ten years ago we were not significantly disadvantaged because we did not have e-scooters. We do not find an increase in wellbeing for locals or tourism bringing prosperity to the city.
Walking our pavements has become hazardous and scary for pedestrians, especially parents with prams, children and the elderly.
There was no local consultation or referendum before these motor vehicles were allowed on our roads.
We just woke up one morning - and there they were!
Now we trip over them whenever we walk along our streets or cross our parks.
As part of a 'trial', no criteria have been set for judging success or failure of the trial. No end point has been given at which the 'trial' will be assessed for its success or otherwise.
No widespread local consultation has been proposed. We have been fooled. There is no proper 'trial' taking place here at all.
It is just hoped that we shall accept these things, and in time get used to them.
"A ban on self-service rental e-scooters has come into force in Paris after the people of the French capital city voted overwhelmingly against them. The move comes after a rise in the number of accidents and complaints from its citizens."
(Sky News, 1.9.23)
We in Bristol are a fallback for the same French e-scooter company that has been banned in its own capital city because of accidents and complaints.
We are being taken for a ride!
Why should we have to put up with all of this?
In Paris they had sufficient respect for their citizens to hold a referendum (April 2023).
We encourage those who favour e-scooters to campaign for an independently-run referendum here in Bristol too.
If they are confident of the support for e-scooters then they would have nothing to loose.
At least a referendum would show respect for local feeling and local democracy.
And they could join us too in our campaign for proper policing in Bristol of illegal rental and private e-scooter usage.
Surely those in favour of e-scooters here cannot really be in favour of illegal and dangerous activity on our streets?
We, the long-term tax-paying residents of Bristol, see these often dangerous vehicles inflicted on us with no proper consultation and no real democratic accountability.
We have been and continue to be - to use the wonderful modern word - 'disrespected'!
So please, dear Bristol friends, if you agree then join with us now in showing that finally ...
we have had enough.
*****
Who knows? You may save a life.
And it may be yours! 🤔
2,988
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Petition created on 1 September 2024